Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Arsenal's 10 worst signings of all time

Let's take a look at Arsenal's worst signings  - from the likes of Denilson to Park Chu Young
Arsenal have signed some world-class players in their distinguished history, many of whom arrived during past two decades under Arsene Wenger.

But for every Thierry Henry or Alexis Sanchez who has rocked up in north London, there has been a Park Chu Young or a Denilson, extreme under-performers who, in some cases (not all), were brought in at great cost only to be sold without ever leaving a mark.


As Wenger looks to sell several fringe players ahead of the upcoming 2017-18 season, We take a look at 10 of Arsenal's worst buys.

Image result for confused wenger



ANDREY ARSHAVIN | From Zenit | €19m | 2009


Andrey Arshavin Premier League Liverpool v Arsenal 210409
Andrey Arshavin arrived at Emirates Stadium to much fanfare following an impressive string of performances at Euro 2008, and the Russia international scored six goals and made seven assists in 12 Premier League games, helping Arsenal finish the 2008-09 season in the Champions League qualification spots.

His £15m transfer was a club record at the time and the attacking midfielder's fantastic four-goal haul against Liverpool at Anfield will be remembered for years to come.

However, his inconsistency and lethargic performances eventually saw him fall out of favour with many fans and he eventually departed for Zenit after finding his playing time limited.

AMAURY BISCHOFF | Free transfer | 2008


Bischoff
Arsene Wenger described the signing of Bischoff as a "gamble" due to midfielder’s history of injury problems. It never paid off because, even after eventually returning to fitness, Bischoff found himself low down in the midfield pecking order.

He revealed in an exclusive interview with Goal that he decided to leave Arsenal due to a lack of playing time, having seen just 25 minutes of action in a solitary Premier League outing.

"It wasn't easy [to decide to leave], because I was injured," Bischoff explained. "But I came back and gave it my all. Then the question came up whether to stay or to leave.
"I talked to Wenger and then we decided that it might be better to leave the club because I wanted go play more games for the first team.”

MAROUANE CHAMAKH | Free transfer | 2010


Marouane Chamakh Arsenal Premier League
Marouane Chamakh joined Arsenal on a free transfer from Bordeaux in 2010 and had a promising start to his Gunners career.

The striker scored 14 goals in 67 appearances before joining West Ham on loan in January 2013, but it was Robin van Persie’s rise to promise that saw him displaced from the starting line-up.

Chamakh revealed in a recent interview that he feels Wenger misled him over his first-team opportunities at Arsenal.

"I played for six months, I scored goals, I was decisive," the Morocco international argued. "In January [2011], Robin returned from injury and overnight, I landed on the bench without justification.
"It is clear that I am a little annoyed at [Wenger] because I think I deserved more playing time than what I was given.
"As the year began, at the start of the season, he told me that we might change tactics and maybe I would be able to play up front with Robin.”

DENILSON | From Sao Paulo | £3.4m | 2006


Denilson Arsenal
Despite making over 150 appearances for Arsenal, it’s fair to say that the Brazilian midfielder never lived up to the lofty expectations of those who believed he was destined to become the Gunners' new midfield star.

The former Brazil under-17 captain was physically weaker than many of his opponents and frustrated supporters with his tendency to pass sideways and backwards.

His final seasons at Emirates Stadium were spent out on loan before he eventually decided to cancel his contract.

GERVINHO | From Lille | £10.8m | 2011


Gervinho Arsenal
Arsenal signed Gervinho at a time when Lille had the likes of Eden Hazard and Yoan Cabaye in their Ligue 1-winning team. It's fair to say that Wenger signed the wrong player, as the Ivorian international never settled at Arsenal after coming in as a replacement for Samir Nasri.

Gervinho scored 11 goals in 69 appearances showed that he wasn’t the right man to lead Arsenal’s attack and a terrible open-goal miss against Bradford in the League Cup probably probably best sums up his Arsenal career.

FRANCIS JEFFERS | From Everton | £8m | 2001


Francis Jeffers Arsenal
‘Fox in the Box’ was the description given to Jeffers when he joined Arsenal for £8m from Everton in 2001.

"We were considering him (Ruud van Nistelrooy) and Francis Jeffers and, in the end, we went for Jeffers," revealed Wenger.

He scored just eight goals while having various fitness issues before being sold to Charlton for £2.6 million in 2004.

OLEG LUZHNY | From Dynamo Kyiv | £2.3m | 1999


Oleg Luzhny Arsenal Premier League
Luzhny has two FA Cups and one Premier League title to his name and the versatile Ukraine international featured at both centre-half and left-back for Arsenal.

However, despite making 31 appearances in his first season at the club, he failed to displace Lee Dixon from the starting 11.

ANDRE SANTOS | From Fenerbahce | €7m | 2011


Andre Santos FC Goa ISL
Signed in the same transfer window as Per Mertesacker, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, the Brazilian arrived at Arsenal to solve the left-back shortage.

His lack of pace and poor positioning saw him defamed by press and supporters alike, though, and his decision to swap shirts with Robin van Persie at half-time during the club’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United only provoked further wrath.

SEBASTIEN SQUILLACI | From Sevilla | £6.5m | 2010


Sebastien Squillaci Arsenal
The Frenchman was signed to bolster an Arsenal defence short of numbers but several errors early on showed that he was out of his depth.

Squillaci slid down the pecking order and was released in 2013.


PARK CHU-YOUNG | From AS Monaco | £5.5m | 2011


Park Chu Young Arsenal
In what is one of the strangest signings of Wenger’s reign at Arsenal, Park walked out of a medical with Lille after being informed of the club’s interest.

The South Korean was highly rated in Ligue 1 and scored on his debut in a League Cup match against Bolton, but a lack of game time and questions over his quality saw him leave the club in 2014 after making under 10 appearances.