MIKEL ARTETA knows his huge summer spending spree will bring high expectations on his Arsenal side this season.
The Gunners have forked out £129million this transfer window following back-to-back eighth-placed finished in the Premier League.
And there will be pressure on the likes of Ben White [£50m], Martin Odegaard [£30m] and Aaron Ramsdale [£24m] to deliver.
Since Arsene Wenger left the club in 2018, the North Londoners have been guilty of making a number of signings that seemed promising, only for them to fail to deliver.
Here SunSport looks at five of the worst Arsenal transfers in the last three years.
Matteo Guendouzi
A £7m signing from Lorient in 2018, the French midfielder had a stellar opening season where he featured 48 times under Unai Emery.
Cesc Fabregas labelled him as the ‘future’ of Arsenal in 2019, but his performances dipped under Arteta, and he was then frozen out of the side following his antics away at Brighton in June 2020.
Heralded as a potential future Arsenal captain, he is now on loan at Marseille, with the Ligue 1 side to permanently sign him next year.
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William Saliba
Arsenal fended off competition from Tottenham two years ago to sign the talented centre-back for £27million from Saint-Etienne.
But he is still yet to make his debut for the Gunners, with the Frenchman now at Marseille on loan alongside Guendouzi – his third loan spell away from the Emirates.
Fans still hope that Saliba has a big future to play at the club after dominant displays in France.
But after below-par performances in the Under-23s last season, it remains to be seen if he has a role to play under Arteta.
Willian
Liverpool legend John Barnes lauded Arsenal’s signing of Willian last year as he praised them for snaring away one of Chelsea’s ‘best players’.
And after grabbing two assists on his debut away at Fulham, fans were also left wondering whether nabbing him on a free transfer was a masterstroke.
But the fairystale start quickly descended into a nightmare as the 32-year-old’s performances left supporters wondering if he was an agent sent by Chelsea to send Arsenal down.
Just a year into his three-year deal and both player and club are desperate for the relationship to come to an end.
Stephan Lichtsteiner
The Switzerland right-back, 37, linked up with Arsenal on a free transfer in 2018 having won seven consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus.
And while his experience in the game may have helped out the young members of the dressing room, his displays on the pitch didn’t help out the side.
The slower-paced style of Italian football failed to expose his speed, whereas the tempo of the Premier League highlighted his troubling pace.
His contract wasn’t renewed after his only year in England, with the defender retiring in 2020 after a season with Augsburg.
Denis Suarez
A player most fans would have forgot even played for the club.
The Spanish midfielder joined in January 2019 on loan from Barcelona, but was limited to just six games in all competitions.
He didn’t start any games for the Gunners, with Suarez playing just 67 minutes of top-flight football spread across four matches.
A groin injury picked up in April cut short his season, though even if he was fit, it is unlikely he would made an impact.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
