Arsenal have been the club of so many Premier League legends over the years.
Think Thierry Henry, think Dennis Bergkamp, think Patrick Viera and think Robert Pires. And those are just to name a few.
Tony Adams, Martin Keown and David Seaman also spring to mind, and while Arsenal may not have a squad full of ‘Premier League greats’ at this current time, there are those who have the potential to go on and become so.
However of all of those legends and those who could potentially be so too, there have been a number of players who never quite made the cut at either Highbury or The Emirates over the years even though they may have promised to do so.
Our fans at the Transfer Tavern have even been laughing at some of the awful disappointments that have graced North London over the years, with Nicklas Bendtner and Francis Jeffers gathering the most giggles.
However they’ve also talked of those who were frustratingly talented but were never able to fully deliver, and so came up with these THREE as their most over-hyped of all time …
Julio Baptista
Another 4 goal wonder who ultimately disappointed other than his quadruple against none other than Liverpool (they clearly like flattering the Gunners frontmen), the Brazilian Baptista arrived on loan at Arsenal with a solid reputation.
The big, bruising centre forward come attacking midfielder had a terrific scoring record at former club Sevilla however struggled at Real Madrid and subsequently at Arsenal too, as even though he did manage 10 goals in 35 appearances for the Gunners, he failed to find his preferred position.
Unfortunately for Arsene Wenger, he returned to Real Madrid a year after only to have a terrific season before further good spells at both Roma and Malaga.
Theo Walcott
One of the current crop, it is fair to argue that Theo Walcott has not lived up to the hype following the excitement that surrounded him at such a young age.
It may not totally be the forward’s fault however as there was an enormous reputation that had been plonked on his head from Sven Goran Eriksen and Arsene Wenger, even before he had made a senior appearance for the Gunners yet was jetted out with England to the 2006 World Cup.
Ultimately however, Walcott has not helped himself either as his continual inability to choose whether he is a winger or a striker means he has never really made a decent enough run in the team in either position, much to the frustration of the Arsenal fans.
Andrey Arshavin
The little Russian playmaker had promised so much in his early days at the club, but his career at the Emirates was erratic as he too often flattered only to deceive with sublime performances – notably as his 4 goals in a 4-4 draw against Liverpool at Anfield – buried beneath 10’s of disappointing ones.
The former Zenit man admitted he struggled psychologically with the demands of the Premier League and playing at a club such as Arsenal, and hence moved back to his old club on loan before his permanent return back in 2013.
