6 Arsenal Signings That Might as Well Have Been April Fools Jokes
Sebastien Squillaci – 2010
It really is shocking how many of these poor signings came in the early 2010’s, isn’t it? The Gunners’ scouting department was clearly lacking at the time. Sebastien Squillaci was brought in for just £4 million and was expected to solidify the Arsenal defence and become a starter. Squillaci was a full France international at the time and played well at his previous club Sevilla, but became famous for being a low-lite reel defender who often conceded calamitous mistakes. He played 3 seasons for Arsenal, although he only made 7 appearances in his final 2 seasons.
Squillaci has gone down as one of Arsenal’s worst ever signings.
Shkodran Mustafi – 2016
A World Cup-winning centre-back to shore up your backline for £35 million? ‘Yes please!’ said many Arsenal fans. Boy will they be choking on their words now. Arsenal signed Shkodran Mustafi in the summer of 2016 to solidify their centre-back core with Per Mertesacker losing his legs. Mustafi’s transfer fee was massive, but after his first few months, where he didn’t lose a single match, it looked like a good investment. That has completely turned on its head now, as Mustafi has revealed himself to be a completely awful defender who is consistently a disaster waiting to happen.
It would be lovely if Mustafi could play an April Fools joke on us all tonight and actually allow us to have a routine win without making me feel like I might have cardiac arrest at any time that he touches the ball.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) April 1, 2019
Although he does have good performances here and there, the whopping transfer fee has made this not only one of Arsenal’s worst signings of the decade, but one of world football’s most baffling deals in general.