Arsenal fans have endured a rather inconsistent season, with many of our punters in the Transfer Tavern having plenty to complain about, but at least their transfer record has improved.
For all the absolute gems that Arsene Wenger has unearthed, there’s also been some purchases to forget. In fact, there has been many of them.
After the Gunners victory over Bournemouth this afternoon, we posed the question to the Arsenal supporting boys in the bar as to who the worst signings in their club’s history were- and they were plenty of names being thrown about.
We dug through their suggestions to pick five names who will make Arsenal fans cringe with memories of how shocking they truly were. For some of these players, it’s almost embarrassing to think they genuinely played for one of England’s greatest ever clubs.
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Hit the image below to see FIVE of Arsenal’s worst ever signings!
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Park-Chu Young
A surprise signing from Arsene Wenger in 2011, Park-Chu Young arrived without too much fanfare but when he took the famous number nine shirt, many expected him to potentially be a regular feature within Arsenal’s squad and challenge for a regular spot.
It didn’t turn out that way at all. In three years he managed just one Premier League appearance and scored just one goal, in the League Cup against Bolton Wanderers. With his time at the Gunners so bad, many believe he was signed simply to raise Arsenal’s profile in the Far East.
Sebastian Squillaci
Quite possibly one of the worst defenders in the Premier League, Arsenal fans will always feel aggrieved that this French defender somehow managed to rack up a fair number of appearances for their club- despite the fact his defensive style was similar to Bambi on ice.
During three years at the club, Squillaci was a joke figure for many and is clear evidence of the financial struggles Arsenal endured following their move to the Emirates Stadium. Clearly, with finances strict, a replacement couldn’t be signed- but even the retired Steve Bould would have been better.
Mikael Silvestre
From one awful French centre-back to another, Mikael Silvestre is one of few players to make the move from Manchester United to Arsenal. At Old Trafford he enjoyed plenty of success, with 249 Premier League appearances, but in North London he was awful.
He spent two years at Arsenal, without much fanfare, and was released upon the expiration of his contract. Just why he was ever signed is still up for debate and it just shows the awful defence Gooners had to put up with for years.
Andre Santos
Another defensive horror show regularly being on display in North London was that of Brazilian Andre Santos, who arrived on Deadline Day 2011 to shake-up the Arsenal defence. He was truly dreadful, raising questions as to how on earth he got 24 caps for Brazil.
Defensively inept and like a fish out of water going forward, Santos was the complete opposite of what you expect from a modern day full-back. When he left in 2013, Arsenal fans breathed a massive sigh of relief.
Denilson
Brazilian’s never quite seem to work out at Arsenal and one of the worst, yet long-lasting, players from the South American nation to ply his trade in North London was Brazilian midfielder Denilson. Somehow, he managed to last seven years with the Gunners- although two of these were spent on-loan at Sao Paulo.
In that time, he secured 96 Premier League appearances and was a regular member of the first-team for some time. For Arsenal fans, he’s one of the worst midfielders they’ve ever been forced to watch.
