2011-12 Arrivals
| Player | Pos. | Age | Nat. | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Agüero | FW | 23 |  | Atlético Madrid | £38m |
| Samir Nasri | AM | 24 |  | Arsenal | £24m |
| Gaël Clichy | LB | 25 | | Arsenal | £7m |
| Stefan Savić | CB | 21 |  | FK Partizan | £6m |
| Costel Pantilimon | GK | 24 |  | Poli Timișoara | £3m |
| Denis Suárez | AM | 17 |  | Celta Vigo | £700k |
| Costel Pantilimon | GK | 24 | | Poli Timișoara | Loan (£350k) |
| Owen Hargreaves | CM | 30 |  | Manchester United | Free |
| Luca Scapuzzi | FW | 19 |  | AC Milan | Free |
| David Pizarro | CM | 32 |  | AS Roma | Loan |
2011-12 Departures
| Player | Pos. | Age | Nat. | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jérôme Boateng | CB | 22 |  | Bayern Munich | £12.36m |
| Shaun Wright-Phillips | AM | 29 | | QPR | £3m |
| Nedum Onuoha | CB | 25 | | QPR | £3m |
| Shay Given | GK | 35 |  | Aston Villa | £2m |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | FW | 27 |  | Tottenham | Loan (£1.5m) |
| Felipe Caicedo | FW | 22 |  | Levante UD | £880k |
| Kieran Trippier | RB | 20 | | Burnley | £450k |
| Ben Mee | LB | 21 | | Burnley | Undisc. |
| Craig Bellamy | AM | 32 |  | Liverpool | Free |
| Jô | FW | 24 |  | Internacional | Free |
| Chris Chantler | RB | 21 | | Carlisle United | Free |
| David González | GK | 29 |  | Brighton | Free |
| James Poole | AM | 21 | | Hartlepool United | Free |
| Scott Kay | CM | 21 | | Macclesfield | Free |
| Andrew Tutte | AM | 20 | | Rochdale | Free |
| Shaleum Logan | RB | 23 | | Brentford | Free |
| Donal McDermott | AM | 21 | | Huddersfield Town | Free |
| Frédéric Veseli | RB | 19 |  | Manchester United | Free |
| Patrick Vieira | CM | 35 | | Retired | Free |
| Roque Santa Cruz | FW | 30 |  | Real Betis | Loan |
| Wayne Bridge | LB | 31 | | Sunderland | Loan |
| Dedryck Boyata | CB | 20 |  | Bolton | Loan |
| John Guidetti | FW | 19 |  | Feyenoord | Loan |
| Michael Johnson | CM | 23 | | Leicester City | Loan |
| Vladimír Weiss | AM | 21 |  | Espanyol | Loan |
| Reece Wabara | RB | 19 | | Reece Wabara | Loan |
| Alex Nimely | FW | 20 | | Middlesbrough | Loan |
| Alex Nimely | FW | 20 | | Coventry City | Loan |
| Ryan McGivern | LB | 21 |  | Crystal Palace | Loan |
| Ryan McGivern | LB | 21 | | Bristol City | Loan |
| Greg Cunningham | LB | 20 | | Nottingham Forest | Loan |
| David González | GK | 28 | | Aberdeen | Loan |
| Ahmad Benali | CM | 19 |  | Rochdale | Loan |
| Abdul Razak | CM | 18 |  | Portsmouth | Loan |
| Abdul Razak | CM | 19 | | Brighton | Loan |
| Karim Rekik | CB | 17 |  | Portsmouth | Loan |
| Harry Bunn | AM | 18 | | Rochdale | Loan |
| Harry Bunn | AM | 19 | | Preston North End | Loan |
| Harry Bunn | AM | 19 | | Oldham Athletic | Loan |
| Jérémy Hélan | LB | 19 | | Carlisle United | Loan |
| Abdisalam Ibrahim | CM | 20 |  | NEC | Loan |
| Mohammed Abu | CM | 20 |  | Strømsgodset | Loan |
| Mohammed Abu | CM | 20 | | Eintracht Frankfurt | Loan |