Throughout much of Arsenal’s time in the Premier League, they have been synonymous with smart signings. Not always, though.
There has still been more good than bad for the Gunners, especially during Arsene Wenger’s tenure, when even slightly more expensive arrivals like Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud had no trouble proving their worth to the team.
They haven’t always got it right, though, and we’ve picked out a few of the Arsenal signings from 1992-93 onwards who failed to deliver on the excitement.
Julio Baptista
Baptista might have only arrived on loan as part of the deal that took José Antonio Reyes to Real Madrid, but the Brazilian’s past at Sevilla was enough cause for excitement.
Supporters will remember him best for the four goals he scored in a League Cup quarter-final victory at Liverpool, but that represented more than his entire Premier League tally in north London.
It’s easy to understand why the move wasn’t made permanent, and why he didn’t exactly hit the ground running after returning to Spain.
READ: Ranking every player to wear No.9 for Arsenal in the Premier League
Shkodran Mustafi
Arsenal’s long search for a reliable centre-half was well documented. Then, finally, in 2016, Wenger threw caution to the wind and spent big on proven quality.
More than £35million (thirty-five-f*cking million) was splashed out on Mustafi. He’d won the World Cup with Germany two years previously, had scored at the European Championship earlier that summer, and had a decent reputation in both Italy and Spain following his time with Sampdoria and Valencia.
His reputation in the Premier League is, err, not so good. His contract was terminated in January 2021 and we’re sure you’ll be shocked to hear he’s suffered back-to-back relegations with two different clubs (Schalke and Levante) since then.
John Hartson
Hartson became the most expensive teenager in English football when he joined Arsenal from Luton in 1995 – but looking much older than his 19 years also had its downsides.
The Welshman got chances in dribs and drabs, even scoring Arsenal’s goal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final, but rustiness and, if we’re being honest, rawness ought to have bought him more time.
It did not, and Hartson was seen as a frustration by many fans before being allowed to leave for West Ham in 1997. He did a bit better there.
Matthew Upson
You know how the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed when buying a teenager for…
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