Unai Emery’s remoulding of the Arsenal squad has gained significant traction with the deadline day arrivals of David Luiz and the Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, taking their summer expenditure up to £110m.
Both signings were confirmed towards the end of a brisk day’s business that also saw Alex Iwobi depart for Everton. That move, believed to be for around £35m, became necessary to help balance the books but the bigger talking point was David Luiz’s surprise £8m move from Chelsea. Arsenal were already short of convincing centre-back options before Laurent Koscielny left for Bordeaux on Tuesday but the Brazilian’s availability, which became apparent late in pre-season amid suggestions some of his relationships at Chelsea had broken down, goes some way towards filling the void.
David Luiz turns 33 in April and, while his best days may be behind him, the timing of the move makes sense at first glance. Arsenal have already spent £25m this summer on the Saint-Étienne defender William Saliba and he will be expected to compete strongly for a place after a season on loan at his former club. In the meantime David Luiz offers presence, personality and experience of winning at the highest level; those are all qualities Arsenal’s back line has lacked and if they become apparent quickly the fee will be a bargain.
The journey between the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge has been surprisingly well-trodden in recent times. David Luiz arrives two months after the retirement of his former Chelsea teammate Petr Cech, who spent the final four years of his career at Arsenal. The opportunity to work at greater length with Emery, with whom he crossed paths for two months at Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, may have made his decision easier. In May, shortly before he anchored Chelsea to a 4-1 Europa League final win over Arsenal, he described Emery as “a great guy, a great coach, a great person”. After David Luiz’s arrival was confirmed, Emery said: “David has huge experience and I look forward to working with him again. He is a well known player and adds to our defensive strength.”
Overall David Luiz won a Champions League, two Europa Leagues, one Premier League title and two FA Cups with Chelsea, making 248 appearances across two spells that totalled six and a half years’ service. The hope will be that his experience rubs off on players such as Tierney, a hugely talented 22-year-old who Arsenal have tracked for a number of years and have now secured on a long-term deal. Tierney has been capped 12 times by Scotland, who are particularly well-stocked in his position given the presence of Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. There are similarities between the two: Tierney is a reliable defender but especially effective going forward and, at his best, sends across a stream of dangerous deliveries from the left.
“It was the hardest decision in my whole life that I’ve had to make,” Tierney, who came through the youth ranks at Celtic and made 170 first-team appearances, told Arsenal’s club website.
“I had to speak to my family and my close friends and my agent as well because it’s a hard decision to leave a club that you love so much. People need to know that as well. I feel Arsenal is a massive club and it’s a great opportunity for me as well. I’m delighted to be here. I’ve made my dream, I’ve lived my dream and I’ve loved every single minute of it. Now I just feel was the right time to take a step on. I feel this is a great opportunity for me.”
Tierney will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a double hernia operation that kept him out of Celtic’s start to the campaign.
Iwobi’s departure brings a sense of unfulfilled promise but a relatively high-profile sale always seemed possible after a summer in which Arsenal’s incomings, which include the club-record £72m signing of Nicolas Pépé, trumped many expectations. He scored 15 goals in 149 appearances for the club since making his own journey through the academy although questions always lingered about his efficiency. At 23 there is time for that to improve; Everton will be the beneficiaries if it does and in the meantime Reiss Nelson, who enjoyed an impressive half-season on loan with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim last season, may be given an extended opportunity in the matchday squad by Emery. Bukayo Saka, a highly-rated 17-year-old who broke through last season, may also be fast-tracked.
Arsenal also received a fee on Thursday for Dominic Thompson, a 19-year-old left-back who is yet to make an appearance in senior football but has shown enough promise to tempt Championship side Brentford into a £3m move. The 20-year-old striker Eddie Nketiah has also completed a loan move to Leeds United.