The transfer window is now closed in terms of players arriving at Arsenal and we can now draw a judgement on the business done by the club.
At the start of the window, the mood was one of despondency, mainly because of the reported transfer budget, however, by the time the window shut I think it is safe to say that the mood had changed completely.
Anyway, here are the players that Arsenal signed and how I rate them.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10
A young exciting prospect who did enough in pre-season to show that he can be a top forward for years to come. Definitely one for the future.
William Saliba 7/10
We will not see Saliba for another 12 months but that is fine, he is highly regarded and another season in Ligue 1 means that he will join us a better player and one that could be central to our defence for a decade to come.
Dani Ceballos 8/10
Only a loan signing but he does excite me, he is electric with great vision and can pass the ball through the eye of a needle. Ceballos could turn out to be the most significant signing this transfer window. Put it this way, he may be the Aaron Ramsey replacement we have been looking for.
Nicolas Pepe 8/10
Brilliant signing, he set the French league alight last season and if he can transfer that form to the Premier League then the Arsenal forward line will be as strong as any other in the Premier League. The signing of Pepe came out of the blue and is arguably the best piece of business done by any club in this transfer window.
Kieran Tierney 8/10
Massive signing for Arsenal, he is highly talented and from what I have seen most pundits believe he will be a huge star for years to come. There is no doubt that the left side of the defence has greatly been strengthened and at just £25 Million could turn out to be the biggest bargain this transfer window.
David Luiz 6/10
The Brazilian does split opinion and I am very doubtful that he will strengthen Arsenal in defence, he is too error-prone in my opinion, however, he is a leader and he is capable of making a difference. For me, the jury is out on this one.
Conclusion
I was tempted to go with a couple of 9/10 and on one of them 10/10 but I had to be realistic, there is no guarantee that the likes of Ceballos, Pepe, Tierney and Martinelli will adapt to the Premier League, Saliba is still not with us and Luiz is, well, Luiz.
Overall, I think Arenal have had a great transfer window and would argue that of all the top-six, the best. We have strengthened almost every area that needed it and not just that but also brought in players for the future and added crucial experience as well.