Arsenal's worst ever signings
Who are the biggest transfer flops in Arsenal's history?
Even the world's biggest clubs can have a mare in the transfer market, and Arsenal are no exception.
The Gunners have signed many a star player over the years; they've also brought in some absolute duds.
Here, we take a look back through the worst acquisitions in the North London club's history.
32. Auston Trusty
Auston Trusty was at Arsenal for 18 months – and never made a single appearance for the Gunners, initially remaining on loan with Philadelphia Union, then spending the 2022/23 season with Birmingham City of the Championship.
As such, including the American centre-back – who joined Sheffield United in the summer of 2023 – on this list might seem harsh, but paying a fee – however small – for a player who doesn't see a minute of action hardly constitutes a successful transfer.
31. Alex Runar Runarsson
Icelandic international Alex Runar Runarsson joined Arsenal from French outfit Dijon in 2020 as goalkeeping back-up – and it soon became clear that he wasn't going to be challenging for the number one spot.
His calamitous Carabao Cup quarter-final performance against Manchester City did anything but endear him to Gunners fans, and a string of loan spells away from the Emirates Stadium followed.
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30. Kim Kallstrom
Kim Kallstrom's penalty in a shootout against Wigan Athletic put Arsenal through to the 2014 FA Cup final.
But that was as good as it got for the Sweden legend during his short stint in North London on loan from Spartak Moscow: he was left out of the squad for the Gunners' victory over Hull City in that final at Wembley, making a grand total of four appearances for the club.
29. Andrey Arshavin
Andrey Arshavin belongs to a select group of players who have scored four goals in a single Premier League game, but the Russian winger's iconic display in Arsenal's 4-4 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in 2009 was about as good as it got for him as a Gunners player.
Frustratingly inconsistent during his four years at the club – who he joined from Zenit Saint Petersburg – Arshavin fell some way short of living up to his £15m price tag, still a hefty sum at that time.
28. Henrikh Mkhitaryan
One of a number of players to make the switch between traditional Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal this century, Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived at the Emirates Stadium in January 2018 in a part-swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez head the other way.
The Armenian midfielder had flattered to deceive for United – and the same was true to an even greater extent following his move to the Gunners, who he left for Roma just 18 months later.
27. Pascal Cygan
Arsenal's 2003/04 Premier League-winning Invincibles all enjoy a degree of immortality – but Pascal Cygan certainly isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think of that legendary Arsene Wenger crop.
The French centre-half joined the Gunners from Lille in the summer of 2002, but he never came close to dislodging the likes of Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure from the starting 11 on a regular basis.
26. Willian
A free signing in the summer of 2020 after leaving Chelsea, Willian was an Arsenal player for all of a year – and it's fair to say it wasn't a particularly memorable one.
Willian – who left for Corinthians in his native Brazil in 2021, before returning to the Premier League and London with Fulham in 2022 – certainly thought as much, describing his Gunners experience as "the worst time that I lived as a professional". Ouch!
25. Julio Baptista
Another player who had a four-goal night at Anfield but otherwise made scant impact for Arsenal, Julio Baptista arrived on a season-long loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2006.
The sizeable Brazilian forward found the net more times in the Gunners' 6-3 League Cup quarter-final thrashing of Liverpool than he did in 24 Premier League outings over the course of the 2006/07 campaign.
24. Lucas Perez
Arsenal's £17.1m outlay to sign Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna in the summer of 2016 suggested that they had high hopes for the Spanish forward.
Unfortunately for Arsene Wenger and co, he didn't live up to expectations – making just two Premier League starts before returning to Deportivo on loan the following the summer then joining West Ham permanently 12 months later.
23. Carl Jenkinson
Signed from Charlton Athletic having made just nine senior appearances for the then League One club, Carl Jenkinson was an Arsenal player for eight years without ever truly establishing himself.
The right-back did win an England cap while a Gunner, but he spent much of his time in North London out on loan at West Ham and Birmingham City. He was sold to Nottingham Forest in 2019.
22. Oleg Luzhny
Oleg Luzhny did the Premier League and FA Cup double with Arsenal in 2001/02, but the right-back didn't play all that much of a part in the Gunners' success that season.
Luzhny won't complain about the solid collection of medals he picked up while in North London, but the former Ukraine international – who signed from Dynamo Kyiv in 1999 – isn't exactly remembered all that fondly by Arsenal supporters.
21. Mikael Silvestre
Hugely successful under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Mikael Silvestre's late-career switch to Arsene Wenger's Arsenal yielded considerably less glory – none at all, in fact.
The French centre-back – who was the first Premier League player to take the now relatively well-trodden path from Manchester to North London – made a mere 26 Premier League appearances in two campaigns with the Gunners, who he joined in 2008 and was released by in 2009.
20. Gervinho
Arsenal have made something of an unfortunate habit of signing flops from Lille, and Gervinho was another one – having joined the Gunners for £10.8m in the summer of 2011.
The Ivory Coast forward had banged in 28 goals in two seasons in France prior to his move to North London – but he was unable to replicate that kind of form in the Premier League, netting just nine times in 46 appearances before departing for Roma.
19. Marouane Chamakh
Lampooned for his ineffectiveness in front of goal, Marouane Chamakh was far from the prolific striker Arsenal will have wanted to be when he joined as a free agent in 2010.
Chamakh hit double figures in his first campaign with the Gunners, but that 11-goal haul was as good as it got for the Frenchman in North London – and he went on to score just three more goals for the club.
18. Junichi Inamoto
Japanese star Junichi Inamoto joined Arsenal on loan from Gamba Osaka in the summer of 2001, arriving at Highbury seemingly with plenty of promise – but he never showed it for the Gunners.
The midfielder didn't make a single Premier League appearance during his one-season stay with Arsene Wenger's side, featuring just four times in all competitions – before faring better in his subsequent loan spell at Fulham.
17. Nelson Vivas
Signed as back-up to established full-back duo Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn, Argentina international Nelson Vivas made the £1.6m switch from Boca Juniors to Arsenal in August 1998.
He didn't have the happiest time in England, though, missing the crucial penalty as the Gunners crashed out of the League Cup to Middlesbrough in 1999/2000 – a season halfway through which he was loaned out to Celta Vigo.
16. Kaba Diawara
Guinean striker Kaba Diawara didn't register a single goal during his six-month stay at Arsenal, failing to make the grade for Arsene Wenger's Gunners after joining from Bordeaux in January 1999.
His torrid time at the club was encapsulated by his string of misses against Leeds late in the 1998/99 campaign, with Arsenal's defeat at Elland Road ultimately seeing them cede the Premier League title to Manchester United.
15. Glenn Helder
The final signing made by Arsene Wenger's predecessor as Arsenal manager, George Graham, just a week before his departure from the club, Glenn Helder's time at Highbury was beset by off-field problems.
Unsurprisingly, as a result, the Dutchman was never really fancied by Wenger – who loaned him out to Benfica shortly after taking over, before offloading him to Dutch outfit NAC Breda at the end of the 1996/97 season.
14. Andre Santos
Signed from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2011 for £6.2m, Andre Santos wasn't exactly a hugely expensive signing – but he didn't even justify that rather modest price tag during his two seasons at Arsenal.
Already in Gunners' fans bad books, the Brazilian really provoked their wrath when he swapped shirts with ex-Arsenal man Robin van Persie at half-time after a shocking 45 minutes against Manchester United.
13. Mathieu Debuchy
A £12m signing from Newcastle in the summer of 2014, Mathieu Debuchy cost Arsenal almost £1m per Premier League outing: the French right-back made just 13 appearances in the competition for the Gunners – in three-and-a-half seasons at the club.
Granted, injury was a big factor in his lack of playing time, but value for money Debuchy was not – and he joined Bordeaux on a free transfer in January 2018, six months before his Arsenal contract was due to expire.
12. Sebastien Squillaci
Another French flop of the Arsene Wenger era, summer 2010 arrival Sebastian Squillaci's first season with Arsenal was so woeful that he only made one further Premier League appearance for the Gunners.
The defender's disastrous spell at the Emirates Stadium came to an end in 2013, when he left for Ligue 1 outfit – with whom he would spend the final four years of his career.
11. Ryo Miyaichi
Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi began his professional career at Arsenal, signing professional terms with Arsene Wenger's Gunners in 2011 after impressing during a trial.
He would never make the grade in North London though, spending most of the next four years out on loan and featuring only seven times for his parent club before leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2015.
10. David Grondin
A £500,000 arrival in 1998, once-prodigious French left-back David Grondin made a sole Premier League appearance for Arsenal before being loaned back to Saint-Etienne.
A further three loan spells away from North London followed, before Grondin left the Gunners for Scottish outfit Dunfermline Athletic in 2003. Half a million well spent? Not really.
9. Amaury Bischoff
Do you remember Amaury Bischoff? Chances are you don't: he was at Arsenal for all of one season, failing to make a single Premier League start and featuring just four times in league and cup.
Upon signing Bischoff as a free agent, Arsene Wenger admitted that his move for the French midfielder was a "gamble on talent" – and, to be frank, Gunners fans didn't see any of the T-word.
8. Christopher Wreh
A £300,000 arrival from Arsene Wenger's old club Monaco in 1997, Christopher Wreh had to fight it out with Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka for a place in the Arsenal side.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Liberian international never established himself for the Gunners. He found the net only three times in 28 games, going out on lean several times before leaving Highbury permanently in 2000.
7. Igors Stepanovs
Igors Stepanovs left Arsenal with a Premier League title and two FA Cup winners medals to his name – but, despite those three pieces of silverware, the Latvian defender's Gunners career was far from a success.
Signed from Skonto Riga in 2000 after an injury to skipper Tony Adams, Stepanovs was ultimately little more than a bit-part player during his four years at Arsenal.
6. Yaya Sanogo
Somewhat cruelly nicknamed Yaya Sanogoals by Arsenal fans, French striker Yaya Sanogo found the net just once during his time at Arsenal – who he joined on a free transfer in the summer of 2013.
Hailed as "excellent" by Arsene Wenger after his first start, in an FA Cup fifth-round win over Liverpool, it was really all downhill for Sanogo from there. In fact, he scored four times as many goals in a single pre-season friendly against Benfica than he ever did in competitive football for the Gunners.
5. Park Chu-young
Park Chu-young signed for Arsenal amid exceedingly strange circumstances, if the rumours are to be believed: the South Korean forward was reportedly set to join Lille, only to catch wind of the Gunners' interest and abandon his medical with the French club.
Whatever the truth of it, though, Park's decision to move to North London backfired big time: he scored on his debut against Bolton Wanderers, but that was to be his only Arsenal goal – in a total of... seven appearances.
4. Francis Jeffers
Seemingly England's next big thing when he broke through at Everton in the late 90s, 20-year-old Francis Jeffers joined Arsene Wenger's Arsenal for an initial £8m in the summer of 2001.
The Gunners never saw the striker at anything like his clinical best, though, with his time at Highbury heavily disrupted by injuries. Jeffers made just 22 Premier League appearances for the Gunners in all, managing only four goals.
3. Clive Allen
Clive Allen is a Tottenham legend – but the 1986/87 PFA Player of the Year played for Arsenal early in his career... sort of.
Signed from QPR for £1.25m in the summer of 1980, Allen became the most expensive teenager in world football – but he never made a competitive appearance for the Gunners, who offloaded him to Crystal Palace the same summer in a swap deal for future captain Kenny Sansom.
2. Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal's record signing until the 2023 arrival of Declan Rice, Nicolas Pepe joined the Gunners from Lille for £72m in August 2019 – and proved to be probably the most expensive mistake in the club's history.
Brilliance was expected of the Ivory Coast winger – but, despite scoring 16 goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign, he showed it in all-too-fleeting flashes, eventually departing for Trabzonspor on a free transfer in September 2023.
1. Shkrodan Mustafi
Ask Arsenal fans how Shkrodan Mustafi made more than 150 appearances for the Gunners and they'll probably struggle to answer – but the German international was a regular at the back for three seasons after arriving at the Emirates Stadium in August 2016.
Costly error's defined Mustafi's stay in North London and, after having his contract terminated by mutual consent in February 2021, he joined Bundesliga outfit Schalke – and played a part in their first relegation for 33 years. Awkward...
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
