Arsenal are a very popular club with a proud history, loyal fanbase and long-serving manager. However, like any other side, there’s been plagues of rubbish players in their drones.
For all of Arsenal’s success, and the top players they’ve boasted, the Gunners haven’t half had an awful crop of footballers amidst their ranks and the punters in the bar are having a wander down memory lane this afternoon to discuss who their worst players genuinely were.
They’re quite surprised that there is such a vast list to choose from and as a result of this, major flops including Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner avoid a mention- but we had to squeeze them in somewhere.
So, gather round and feast your eyes on five players who were simply awful under Arsene Wenger and bring nightmares to Arsenal fans that were forced to watch this mediocrity get paid for screwing up in front of millions.
Hit Wenger below to see FIVE of the worst players in Arsenal’s history!
[ffc-gallery]
[/ffc-gallery]
Emmanuel Eboue
We’ll start off with a quick bit of defence for Emmanuel Eboue, who probably isn’t the worst footballer to ever grace Arsenal, but his hilarious approach to the game made him a liability and there is some moments that cannot be forgotten.
The ‘highlight’ of his Arsenal career was coming on as a substitute, playing atrociously and being booed off as he was substituted off. To be fair, he did come back and perform to a better standard than that but it has to be the most embarrassing moment for a footballer.
Eboue also conceded a late penalty once against Liverpool as he bundled over Dirk Kuyt, who was going nowhere, which showed his lapses of responsibility but his golden moment came away from Arsenal at the World Cup. Who can forget him pretending to know Korean as he eavesdropped upon instructions given by North Korea’s manager to a player the Ivorian was marking!
Sebastian Squillaci
A French name that strikes a cold shiver onto Arsenal fans when mentioned, it’s a miracle that Sebastian Squillaci lasted three years in North London. Taking the historic 18 jersey worn by superstars like Pascal Cygan and Mikael Silvestre, Squillaci ensured their legacy lived on.
He was, frankly put, appalling and had the defensive capabilities of a tortoise without any legs. He made mistake after mistake and was a proud member of the ‘banter era’ that Arsenal fans had to put up with after the financial implications of a move to a new stadium.
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia isn’t the worst goalkeeper to ever play for Arsenal but the fact he was first-choice for a long period made for an extremely painful time for Gooners everywhere. The Spaniard, successor to invincible goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, had the goalkeeping ability of a sack of spuds.
Almunia made consistent howlers, failed to lead his line and was a complete liability. Just how on earth he managed not to be assassinated during his years in the first-team beggars belief and Arsenal fans still hold a grudge after defeat in the Champions League final in 2006- where the Gunners conceded the famous trophy to Barcelona simply because Almunia can’t defend his near post.
Junichi Inamoto
We’re not quite sure how to describe Junichi Inamoto’s time at Arsenal without using foul expletives, as the Japanese star was simply abysmal. He arrived at Arsenal with a huge reputation, and resulted in mass following in the Far East, but his performances didn’t live up to the hype.
Inmate managed just one-year at Arsenal before being hauled across London to Fulham and he fell into mediocrity afterwards. He had the chance to become one of the first big-names from the Far East to make an impact in Europe but instead he ranks amongst the all-time Premier League disasters.
Park-Chu Young
Quite like Inamoto’s move to Arsenal, although without the huge reputation, the arrival of South Korean international Park-Chu Young in North London raised Arsenal’s profile in Asia. Whilst Arsenal fans hoped they’d landed their own Park-Ji Sung, they ended up with park bench.
During three years in Arsenal, he played just eight MINUTES of Premier League football and has to go down as the worst number 9 in the Gunners history. He scored just one goal for the club, which came in the League Cup against the mighty Bolton Wanderers.
