When transfers go bad: A look back at five of Arsenal’s worst transfer dealings
By Oscar Maung-Haley
With the news that William Saliba is set to join Marseille on loan after arriving at the Emirates two years ago for a whopping £27m, we look back on Arsenal’s worst transfer dealings of all time…
Shkodran Mustafi
Signed for a mammoth £35m from Valencia in 2016, Shkodran Mustafi was one of the first names on our list.During his five years at the Emirates, the German defender underwhelmed, developing a bit of a reputation for gaffes and errors.The transfer fee was an enormous outlay for Arsenal at the time.At £35m, he should have been one of Arsenal’s building blocks for the future, helping them challenge for titles and silverware again.But Mustafi never lived up to his price tag, having his contract terminated in February of this year.He now plays for Schalke who got relegated this season…poor guy cannot catch a break!
Shkodran Mustafi
Signed for a mammoth £35m from Valencia in 2016, Shkodran Mustafi was one of the first names on our list.
During his five years at the Emirates, the German defender underwhelmed, developing a bit of a reputation for gaffes and errors.
The transfer fee was an enormous outlay for Arsenal at the time.
At £35m, he should have been one of Arsenal’s building blocks for the future, helping them challenge for titles and silverware again.
But Mustafi never lived up to his price tag, having his contract terminated in February of this year.
He now plays for Schalke who got relegated this season…poor guy cannot catch a break!
The entire 2011/12 summer transfer window
To be honest, a number of the spots on our list could have gone to players from this summer transfer window.While Arsenal did add the likes of Héctor Bellerín and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to their ranks, they also bought Gervinho, Joel Campbell, Park Chu-young, and *shudders* André Santos. It’s safe to say that none of the aforementioned players really hit the ground running at the Emirates.But it’s what this window represented for Arsenal as a whole that lands it on our list.The club lost Gaël Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fábregas, who were all key players at the time.While Arsenal did manage to finish third, largely thanks to a magnificent season from Robin van Persie, the sales of Clichy, Nasri and Fábregas represented a sign of the times.If you want success and trophies – you’d be better off playing elsewhere.
To be honest, a number of the spots on our list could have gone to players from this summer transfer window.
While Arsenal did add the likes of Héctor Bellerín and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to their ranks, they also bought Gervinho, Joel Campbell, Park Chu-young, and *shudders* André Santos.
It’s safe to say that none of the aforementioned players really hit the ground running at the Emirates.
But it’s what this window represented for Arsenal as a whole that lands it on our list.
The club lost Gaël Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fábregas, who were all key players at the time.
While Arsenal did manage to finish third, largely thanks to a magnificent season from Robin van Persie, the sales of Clichy, Nasri and Fábregas represented a sign of the times.
If you want success and trophies – you’d be better off playing elsewhere.
The Alexis Sanchez debacle
Dear me, where to begin with this one.Firstly, there can be no doubt that Alexis Sanchez was one of the finest players to grace the Emirates in an Arsenal shirt.With 80 goals in 166 appearances to his name, Sanchez lit up the Premier League, scoring an impressive 30 in 51 in his penultimate season.But in his final season, Sanchez’s form dropped off a cliff with rumours surfacing about his unhappiness at Arsenal.And with just six months left on the Chilean’s deal, Arsenal ended up swapping him for Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Given Sanchez’s performances for Arsenal, and how they let his contract end up the way it did, the failure to not get a transfer fee or work out the situation with the player is why the debacle ends up on our list.
Dear me, where to begin with this one.
Firstly, there can be no doubt that Alexis Sanchez was one of the finest players to grace the Emirates in an Arsenal shirt.
With 80 goals in 166 appearances to his name, Sanchez lit up the Premier League, scoring an impressive 30 in 51 in his penultimate season.
But in his final season, Sanchez’s form dropped off a cliff with rumours surfacing about his unhappiness at Arsenal.
And with just six months left on the Chilean’s deal, Arsenal ended up swapping him for Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Given Sanchez’s performances for Arsenal, and how they let his contract end up the way it did, the failure to not get a transfer fee or work out the situation with the player is why the debacle ends up on our list.
Francis Jeffers
Nicknamed the “fox in the box”, Francis Jeffers signed for Arsenal from Everton for £8m in 2001.After catching then manager Arsene Wenger’s eye with some memorable performances for the Toffees, he failed to ever truly force his way into the Gunners first-team plans.In total, he scored a meagre eight goals in 39 games with his spell at Arsenal plagued by injuries.Of course, he also had Thierry Henry starting in front of him…But ultimately Jeffers never lived up to the hype, eventually going back to Everton on loan before moving to Charlton Athletic, where he was similarly ineffective.
After catching then manager Arsene Wenger’s eye with some memorable performances for the Toffees, he failed to ever truly force his way into the Gunners first-team plans.
In total, he scored a meagre eight goals in 39 games with his spell at Arsenal plagued by injuries.
Of course, he also had Thierry Henry starting in front of him…
But ultimately Jeffers never lived up to the hype, eventually going back to Everton on loan before moving to Charlton Athletic, where he was similarly ineffective.
Aaron Ramsey
Similarly to the transfer window of 2011/12, Aaron Ramsey’s departure from the Emirates makes our list because of what it represented for the Gunners.
In his 11 seasons, the Welshman was almost always a regular starter, scoring 64 goals in 369 games.
A key contributor, Ramsey’s current deal was due to expire at the end of the 2018/19 season, with no sign of a renewal on the horizon.
And with clubs across Europe circling, the midfielder ended up signing a four-year contract in February 2019 with Juventus.
Clearly, there was no way Arsenal could compete with the rumoured £400,000 a week Ramsey stood to make.
But again, Arsenal’s inability to recoup a transfer fee for a player who was in their prime is the reason why it makes our list.
Photo credit: Getty Images
In his 11 seasons, the Welshman was almost always a regular starter, scoring 64 goals in 369 games.
A key contributor, Ramsey’s current deal was due to expire at the end of the 2018/19 season, with no sign of a renewal on the horizon.
And with clubs across Europe circling, the midfielder ended up signing a four-year contract in February 2019 with Juventus.
Clearly, there was no way Arsenal could compete with the rumoured £400,000 a week Ramsey stood to make.
But again, Arsenal’s inability to recoup a transfer fee for a player who was in their prime is the reason why it makes our list.
