The worst Arsenal transfers in history: From Trusty to Pepé to Mustafi

The overall list of Arsenal’s worst transfers in history has 32 names, with Andrey Arshavin certainly one of the more unfamiliar faces. It will come as a surprise to no one that Nicolas Pepé tops the list. We bring you the five worst transfers in Arsenal history.

5. Park Chu-young

In 2011, the Korean striker was headed to Lille, coming off a medical. When he heard of Arsenal’s interest, he cancelled the checkup in France and headed to London to try his luck. Arsenal sent €6.5 million to Monaco for him.

He got off to a great start, scoring on his debut against Bolton. Fans began to expect a lot from him. However, the Korean disappeared from the squad and the bench, often not even among the substitutes. In the whole season he played in only 7 games.

After a year he was sent on loan to Celta Vigo, where he scored 4 goals and assisted 1 in 25 games. After Spain, another loan spell followed, this time at Watford, after which his contract in London ended and his dream engagement didn’t work out as expected.

4. Francis Jeffers

The English striker transferred to Arsenal in 2001 with the idea that he would be a finisher the whole club would rely on. Unfortunately for him, Arséne Wenger paid Everton 15 million euros for him, which was a huge sum at the time. He was an Arsenal player for 3 years, but spent one season on loan.

His first season was spent mainly in the stands, so he played only 10 games in which he scored 2 goals and 1 assist. He was only 20 years old and still in his early teens. The next season he had already played 28 games in which he scored only 6 goals, so Arsene Wenger decided to send him on loan and after the end of the season Jeffers was sold.

3. Clive Allen

The English striker is probably remembered more by Tottenham fans, where he won the Premier League Player of the Year award in the 1986/87 season. However, he also spent one season at Arsenal early in his career. This fact, however, is not even realised by most fans.

In the winter of 1980, Arsenal paid €1.4 million for him, making him the most expensive teenager in history at the time. Unfortunately for Allen, as quickly as his Arsenal career began, it ended just as quickly. He didn’t play a single game in red colours and after six months he moved to Crystal Palace for €1.9 million.

2. Nicolas Pepé

Everyone seems to know the Ivory Coast winger. In 2019, Arsenal made him their most expensive signing ever by sending €80 million to Lille. In his first season, he notched 8 goals and 10 assists, if you close your eyes, it wouldn’t be that bad.

The next season, his numbers had already reached 16 goals and 5 assists. At times, it seemed like the African might finally get used to the Premier League. however, he only played 23 games during the 2021/22 season, which is equal to half of the previous season. In the summer of 2022, he didn’t fit into Mikel Arteta’s plans and so went on loan to Nice, bringing his stint at Arsenal to a definitive end.

1. Shkrodan Mustafi

The German world champion arrived in London in 2016 for 41 million euros. In retrospect, no Arsenal fan seems to understand who could have paid that kind of money for him. The German made mistake after mistake and gradually became a nightmare for all Canaries fans. He disappeared from Premier League stadiums in January 2021 with the termination of his contract.

Source: Premier League, Arsenal, fourfourtwo