Although Mikel Arteta has built one of the best Arsenal sides since the days of the Invincibles, it hasn’t all been plain sailing in the transfer market.
Indeed, there have been plenty of poor decisions and regrettable arrivals at the Emirates Stadium since Arteta first delved into the market as Gunners boss in January 2020.
But who have been the worst signings for Arteta’s Arsenal? We have made a top-10 list of the manager’s more forgettable buys.
Ranking factors
In order to rank these players, we have considered the following criteria:
- Transfer fee – whether they overpaid for the player
- Injuries – how often they were unavailable during their time at the club
- Embarrassing moments – whether they had moments to forget in an Arsenal shirt
- Expectation v reality – how much difference there was between how well they were expected to perform and their actual performances
Note: All career statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and correct as of 14th August 2025.
10: Cedric
Signed from Southampton for free (2020)
Cedric became one of Arteta’s earliest signings when initially joining on loan before his permanent deal in the summer of 2020.
While not a terrible player, it could be considered a stretch to say that his arrival elevated the quality of the side, even if he was a relatively solid starter amid the departure of Hector Bellerin.
He was also prone to the odd error, including losing his man to concede a late equaliser against Slavia Prague and conceding a penalty against Spurs in a crucial game for Champions League qualification.
| Cedric Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2020-2024 |
| Appearances | 64 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 5 |
9: Neto
Signed from Bournemouth on loan (2024)
Arsenal certainly needed a backup goalkeeper of considerable quality when Neto arrived in the summer of 2024, so on the face of it, his signing wasn’t necessarily a poor recruitment decision.
However, the Gunners didn’t move quickly enough for him to be included in their Carabao Cup squads due to the Brazilian being cup-tied.
His only senior appearance for the club was then rather peculiar, conceding a goal in the Champions League following some pretty poor positioning, eventually attempting to save a shot from Arnaut Danjuma by diving full-stretch for the ball while well out of his area.
| Neto Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2024-2025 |
| Appearances | 1 |
| Clean sheets | 0 |
| Goals conceded | 1 |
8: Marquinhos
Signed from Sao Paulo for £3m (2022)
Marquinhos’ signing looked to replicate Arsenal’s capture of Gabriel Martinelli from three years prior, with the latter Brazilian now a regular fixture of the Gunners first team.
Unfortunately for his compatriot, Marquinhos was unable to forge a successful career in England, despite scoring on his first start in the Europa League.
Fast-forward three years, and he is back in Brazil, with Cruzeiro even appearing reluctant to buy him before Arsenal finally got rid.
| Marquinhos Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2022-2025 |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
7: Fabio Vieira
Signed from Porto for £34.2m (2022)
Fabio Vieira was a relatively under-the-radar signing amid the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer of 2022.
However, the Portuguese midfielder has been unable to find a place in Arsenal’s senior side, spending time out on loan following only glimpses of class in a Gunners shirt.
He had his moments in for Arsenal, including scoring the winning penalty in the 2023 Community Shield, but for the fee paid, it’s fair to say that Arteta did not get his money’s worth as Fabio Vieira’s career in N5 looks to be fizzling out.
| Fabio Vieira Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2022-present |
| Appearances | 49 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 10 |
6: Matt Turner
Signed from New England Revolution for £5.5m (2022)
It appears that Arsenal have been buying backup goalkeepers every year without success, so Mikel Arteta will be hoping that Kepa Arrizabalaga will bring him some respite in that regard.
Matt Turner was another No 2 that didn’t hit the mark, and while he didn’t exactly commit high-profile errors, there was never any danger of the American displacing Aaron Ramsdale in the net.
Shaky and out of his depth at times, it does seem as though Arteta got rid as soon as he worked out he wasn’t up to scratch.
| Matt Turner Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2022-2023 |
| Appearances | 7 |
| Clean sheets | 4 |
| Goals conceded | 4 |
5: Raheem Sterling
Signed from Chelsea on loan (2024)
It could have worked, but it didn’t. Arsenal at least didn’t take a huge financial hit when taking a gamble on Raheem Sterling at the start of the 2024/25 season, but on pretty much every other metric, the move was a disaster.
Sterling was unable to revive his career having fallen out of favour at Chelsea, and with Arsenal looking for a winger, Arteta linking up with his former Manchester City colleague could have been just what he needed.
However, after several underwhelming performances, it is no wonder Arsenal did not think about pursuing a permanent deal.
| Raheem Sterling Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2024-2025 |
| Appearances | 28 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 5 |
4: Alex Runarsson
Signed from Dijon for £1.8m (2020)
Arteta really took his time finding a competent No 2 at Arsenal, and none of his previous efforts was quite as disastrous as Alex Runarsson’s capture from Dijon in 2020.
The Icelandic goalkeeper joined having previously worked with GK coach Inaki Cana, who had previously worked with the shot-stopper in Denmark.
But he failed to prove himself when called upon, with his most notorious display coming in a Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City, where he was at fault for at least two of the four goals he conceded.
| Alex Runarsson Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2020-2024 |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Clean sheets | 3 |
| Goals conceded | 7 |
3: Willian
Signed as free agent (2020)
This transfer had all the hallmarks of a tap-in success. A proven winner with Chelsea, Willian was up for grabs on a free after his Stamford Bridge contract came to an end.
He also shone on debut, having a hand in all three goals the Gunners scored against Fulham.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got, and by the time he scored his only Arsenal goal with a sumptuous free-kick, it was clear his best days had passed him (even if he did later enjoy a career revival at Craven Cottage, of all places).
| Willian Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2020-2021 |
| Appearances | 37 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 7 |
2: Nuno Tavares
Signed from Benfica for £8m (2021)
Nuno Tavares arrived at Arsenal in 2021 as a promising prospect, with the 21-year-old eventually forcing his way into Arteta’s first-team plans.
However, things turned sour pretty quickly, with the Portuguese full-back publicly shamed after being hauled off during an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, which may end up being the lasting memory of his Arsenal career.
Tavares briefly recovered but lost his place to Oleksandr Zinchenko the following summer, and was sent out on loan each year until eventually signing for Lazio.
| Nuno Tavares Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2021-2025 |
| Appearances | 28 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 2 |
1: Gabriel Jesus
Signed from Man City for £45m (2022)
This should have been the slam dunk of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal career to date.
That it hasn’t worked out as hoped is arguably neither the fault of the manager nor the player, but ultimately, the Gunners may have been better off passing on the former Man City star.
It had all started so well, to the point where Arsenal No 9 ‘curse’ may have been about to end – he scored five goals and notched 6 assists before being injured on international duty during the mid-season 2022 World Cup, though he did finish that campaign fairly strongly.
Unfortunately, the magic has not flowed in quite the same way since then, with Jesus suffering another serious knee injury in 2024/25 to end his season early and compound Arsenal’s £45m misery.
| Gabriel Jesus Arsenal stats | Total |
|---|---|
| Career | 2022-present |
| Appearances | 96 |
| Goals | 26 |
| Assists | 20 |
| Games missed | 72 |
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