Since we are in transfer season, i think its the best way to talk about Arsenals worst signing in history. However, here are some of the worst signings made by the Gunners, including the likes of Park Chu-Young and Christopher Wreh
Arsenal have signed some world-class players in their long and illlustrious history, many of whom arrived during past two decades under manager Arsene Wenger. But for every Thierry Henry or Alexis Sanchez who has rocked up in north London, there has been a Francis Jeffers or a Denilson, dire under-performers who, in some cases, were acquired at great cost only to be sold without ever leaving a mark.
With the January transfer window now shut, Goal takes a look at some of the transfers Gunners fans would rather forget.
ANDREY ARSHAVIN | From Zenit | €19m | 2009
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 Arsenalfinish 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 scintillating 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
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 leaveArsenaldue 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
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 later revealed 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 (Van Persie) 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
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
Arsenalsigned Gervinho at a time when Lille had the likes of Eden Hazard and Yohan 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.
Eleven 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 best sums up his Arsenal career.
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