5 winners from transfer deadline day

By James Dudko | Sep 1, 2016

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 31: New Leicester City signing Islam Slimani poses for pictures in Paris before re-joining his international team mates after passing a medical and joining Leicester City from Sporting Lisbon for a club record fee on August 31, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 13: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks on during The Emirates FA Cup Sixth Round match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

3. Arsenal

Arsenal rate as winners from deadline day because they jettisoned some excess baggage. Manager Arsene Wenger finally and wisely realized that Jack Wilshere is surplus to requirements in the middle.

The 24-year-old is too brittle, too inconsistent and too erratic off the pitch. Getting Bournemouth to pay a £2 million loan fee and foot the entire £80,000-a-week wages, per Sami Mokbel of MailOnline, for a player with this many question marks, represented superb business.

Wilshere had become a luxury Wenger and the Gunners didn’t need. Not with Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin also available.

Now Wenger no longer has to worry about where best to play Wilshere, the ultimate riddle wrapped in an enigma. The Arsenal chief has one less selection headache and can concentrate on identifying and sticking with his best team as much as possible, something he failed to do last term.

It’s a similar story with the decision to sell sparingly used winger Serge Gnabry to Werder Bremen. Arsenal pocketed a “reported fee of £5 million” from the deal, according to ESPN FC.

That’s excellent business for a player who hasn’t featured for the Gunners since the 2013-14 season. Gnabry starred for Germany at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. But a long-term injury in 2014-15 and a miserable loan spell at West Bromwich Albion last season made him expendable.

The presence of Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez and new boy Lucas Perez, means Wenger has a plethora of forwards who can play on the wing.

Gnabry reportedly cost Arsenal a mere £100,000 when he signed from Stuttgart as a 15-year-old in 2011. He had one year left on his deal, so the Gunners have played it smart to turn him into some quick cash.

Arsenal had the bulk of their business done before deadline day, and avoided a mad trolley dash for a rare time. Instead, Wenger put the finishing touches on the squad he wants for the new season.

Next: 2. Leicester City

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