Most successful transfers between Arsenal and Chelsea

Liam Williams Published: 02 Jul 25 15:15

Kepa Arrizabalaga became the latest player to swap West London for North, completing a £5m move from Chelsea.

Although the former Athletic Club keeper is unlikely to get the nod over David Raya, Arrizabalaga will serve as a capable deputy when called upon.

The Spaniard becomes the 12th player to switch between Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League era, and we’ve looked at the five most successful moves below.

5 – Kai Havertz

When all is said and done, Kai Havertz’s time at Arsenal will likely only be deemed a success if it leads to a major trophy.

The German made the surprise move for around £65m in 2023 with the thinking being he could play as an advanced #8, out wide or up front.

Over the last 18 months, with Arsenal struggling for a goalscorer, Havertz has largely been deployed as a centre forward, and while he’s contributed to 32 goals in 60 Premier League games, the Gunners look to be in need of a new striker to fire them to the title.

4 – Petr Cech

With Thibaut Courtois establishing himself as number one, Petr Cech was pushed down the pecking order, prompting Arsenal to step in.

While it might have seemed like Cech’s best years were behind him, the four-time Premier League winner helped the Gunners to a runner-up finish in his first season, winning the Golden Glove, before winning a fifth FA Cup in his second season.

After three seasons as number one in North London, Cech was displaced by Bernd Leno, leaving after four seasons.

3 – William Gallas

After five impressive years with Chelsea, William Gallas was used as the makeweight in the move that took Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge.

Equally adept at left-back and centre-back, Gallas was a superb defender, entrusted with the captain’s armband at the Emirates.

While the Frenchman brought much needed leadership to an Arsenal side in transition, his take on captaincy came under scrutiny when cutting an isolated figure, sitting on the pitch on his own after Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Birmingham derailed their title bid.

While his mentality was often his downfall, Gallas was a solid defender for the Gunners for four years.

2 – Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud arrived at Arsenal with a big reputation from France, having scored 21 goals as Montpellier won the Ligue 1 title. But while Giroud was a consistent enough goalscorer for Arsenal, he was never prolific enough to fire them to the Premier League.

Losing his place in the 2017/18 season, Giroud moved to Chelsea, where he happily played the role of a squad player.

Giroud was used more as a sub than a starter but managed to score a number of important goals. Featuring regularly in their Europa League win of 2019, Giroud top-scored in the competition, and was part of the FA Cup- and UEFA Champions League-winning squads of 2018 and 2019 respectively.

1 – Ashley Cole

While it’s one of the most controversial moves in English football history, it also remains one of the best.

Ashley Cole may have incensed Arsenal fans – and the wider public – with his comments about his salary demands at the club, but the left-back was one of the best in the world in his position and Arsenal were weaker for his departure.

Sending William Gallas and £5m to North London, Chelsea came back with Cole, who’d go on to play 338 times for the club, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.