da bet7： Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern have spent the majority of the last few transfer windows angrily declaring the need to splash the cash, although our landlord has constantly warned them that it doesn’t always work out.
da pinnacle： The Gunners have a fairly strong transfer record under Arsene Wenger, although there has undoubtably been some disasters, but even the north London giants have a history of completing some truly pointless signings.
In the bar today, a discussion was sparked concerning what moves can be considered pointless and a fiery debate waged on for a quite a while, with many arguing who was truly pointless and who was a required deal at the time.
Our landlord eventually stepped in to give his own views and eventually the group os supporters settled on a list they feel were signings that were truly ridiculous- and we’re gonna take a look at that contingent today!
Hit the image below to see FIVE truly pointless Arsenal signings!
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Park-Chu Young
The need for a striker when Park-Chu Young was signed was pretty apparent but when the Korean arrived at the Emirates was a major surprise. Signed in 2011, he was handed the number nine shirt in a move later believed to be purely to increase the support in the Far East.
During three years on Arsenal’s books, Park made just one Premier League appearance and scored only one goal, which came in the League Cup against Bolton Wanderers. In 2014 he was released, unsurprisingly, and proved to be a massive waste of everybody’s time.
Junichi Inamoto
Back in 2001, Junichi Inamoto was one of the most highly-rated Japanese players around and he joined Arsenal on a season long loan deal with big expectations. With the move arriving a year before the World Cup in his nation, it was another move later deemed to be a publicity stunt.
Whether Arsenal rated Inamoto truly is still up for debate but the fact he failed to make a single league appearance during his time with the Gunners speaks volumes. He failed to make it in the English game entirely, struggling on later spells with West Brom, Fulham and Cardiff City.
Fading into mediocrity in the years after he left Arsenal, fans are still baffled as to why Arsene Wenger ever approved his signing.
Kim Kallstrom
This is undoubtedly the most pointless Arsenal transfer of all time and Gooners will remember it vividly as it was only a few years ago. The Swedish international signed on-loan for the Gunners in January 2014, at a time where Arsenal desperately needed a defensive midfielder.
An experienced player, the signing made some sense but it was later revealed he had a back injury that was flagged during his medical- but Arsenal still made the decision to sign him. It took until late March for him to make his debut and he finished is short stint at Arsenal with just four appearances, with just one start.
There was one positive moment for him though, as he dispatched a penalty in the shoot-out win against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup semi-final and the Gunners later won the competition, ending their trophy drought.
Wellington Silva
Signed amongst great media frenzy in 2010, the young Brazilian was tipped for great things at Arsenal. There was one problem though, the South American couldn’t get a work permit and therefore couldn’t feature in England.
Now in his sixth year on Arsenal’s books, Wellington Silva got his work permit at the beginning of the season and has spent the campaign with struggling Bolton Wanderers, where he’s made 19 appearances and scored two goals to date.
The young Brazilian could still become a star at Arsenal but it’s extremely unlikely given his performances in recent years and the vast competition he has for a starting spot.
Igors Stephanovs
Latvia isn’t established as a major footballing nation, so Arsene Wenger’s decision to sign Latvian international Igors Stephanovs in 2000 for £1.35m raised eyebrows- although it made sense given the injury to Tony Adams.
Whilst he’s time at Arsenal started quite well, he’s remembered for an awful performance in a 6-1 drubbing against Manchester United that resulted in the Gunners conceding the title to their great rivals.
During four years on Arsenal’s books, he made 17 Premier League appearances and 31 appearances overall. With his final year spent on-loan at KSK Beveren, those numbers spread across three years are still not impressive.