6 Arsenal Signings That Might as Well Have Been April Fools Jokes

Marouane Chamakh – 2010

Oh dear, another early 2010’s signing. Marouane Chamakh was brought in by Arsenal on a free transfer (thank god it wasn’t for a fee), to add some quality up-front. He came over from Bordeaux, where he had scored 32 goals in his last 2 seasons – a decent return no doubt, but not enough to be a convincing started. Chamakh did actually score 11 goals in his first 22 matches, but he would end his Gunners career with just 14 goals, scoring 1 in his 2nd season and 2 in his last.

Although Chamakh has gone on to have a decent career, his time at the club was awful.

Francis Jeffers – 2001

The only signing before 2010 included in this list, is that of Francis Jeffers. The English forward had injury issues at his former club Everton, but his 6 goals in 12 matches in the 2000-01 season were enough to convince Arsene Wenger. Jeffers was described as a ‘fox in the box’ and was expected to feature significantly as the Gunners’ centre-forward, but the likes of Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry quickly overtook him and never looked back. Jeffers struggled with injury and attitude issues, and scored just 8 goals in his 2 full seasons for the club.