Pepe, Aubameyang, Ozil & Arsenal's 10 most expensive signings ever

Bernd Leno became the most expensive goalkeeper in Arsenal's history when the Londoners acquired the Germany international from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2018.

After a slow start to his Emirates career, Leno usurped Petr Cech as Unai Emery's preferred No.1 in the Premier League and now looks set for a lengthy spell as the Gunners' first-choice shot-stopper following the Czech's retirement.

After a stellar 2017-18 season at Sampdoria, Lucas Torreira was courted by a number of top clubs during the summer transfer window, including Napoli.

However, Arsenal won the race for the Uruguay international's signature and the all-action midfielder has quickly endeared himself to the Emirates crowd with his tenacity and drive.

The acquisition of William Saliba was a particularly sweet success for Arsenal.

Not only is the teenage centre-half – who has been loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the 2018-19 campaign – considered one of France's most promising defenders, he also turned down the Gunners' bitter rivals, Tottenham, before agreeing to move to the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger splashed the cash to land the hard-working forward from Barcelona in 2014, spending £31.7m on the Chilean.

Over his time at the Emirates, Alexis netted 80 goals in 166 games for the Gunners before moving to Manchester United in a part-exchange deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrive in north London.

Neither move has worked out well.

With the Gunners having struggled down the years to replace some iconic figures in the box-to-box midfield department, big money was spent to land the Switzerland international from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Doubts remain over the value of the deal, particularly in light of his on-field ill-discipline, but he did improve under Unai Emery during the 2018-19 season.

Having sought to solve their midfield issues with the signing of Granit Xhaka in 2016, the Gunners also looked to shore up their defensive unit by bringing in a World Cup winner from Valencia.

Mustafi, who had previously spent time on the books at Everton, settled quickly in north London but has become increasingly error-prone over the past 18 months and could soon be offloaded.

A statement signing from Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, with Arsene Wenger breaking the club’s transfer record to acquire the enigmatic playmaker.

Ozil has won three FA Cups during his time in north London but is no longer considered a certain starter under Unai Emery and his massive wages are a constant source of frustration among an increasingly disgruntled fanbase.

The France forward became Arsenal’s record signing in the summer of 2017 after joining on a five-year contract from Lyon.

Lacazette has proven a smash hit in north London and was voted the Gunners' player of the year by the club's supporters after hitting 19 goals in all competitions in 2018-19.

The Gabon international became Arsenal's most expensive player after joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 following the departure of Alexis Sanchez.

Aubameyang has quickly become a crowd favourite thanks to his Thierry Henry-like pace and precision finishing, as well as his fruitful partnership with fellow forward Lacazette.

Arsenal smashed their record transfer fee by beating off stiff competition from the likes of Napoli to sign the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international.

Pepe should prove money well spent, though, as he is coming off the best season of his career to date, having scored 23 goals and created an additional 12 in 41 appearances in all competitions for Lille in 2018-19.