arsenalLost to Manchester United in last game FA Cup The third round ensured they had no games left to end their search for another major trophy Mikel Arteta.

After trailing Newcastle United 2-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the Gunners boss may just Premier League and Champions League Left with a win this season.

To make matters worse, Gabriel Jesus Injuried An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee will cause the Brazilian forward to miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

This leaves Kai Havertz as a temporary center option in Arteta’s squad. With five months left in the season, it has become clear where the Spaniard desperately needs to strengthen this January.

According to reports, Arsenal are trying They will be looking to bring in a new striker behind the scenes before the transfer window closes in a few weeks.

Short-term and long-term options were being considered before Jesus suffered his ACL injury, but it’s an important question now, especially given what’s at stake between now and the end of the season.

Whoever Arteta decides to sign, he wants them to act immediately. But the manager has also suffered from failed transfers over the years since taking over in December 2019.

With that in mind, we look at the ten worst signings Arteta has made during his time at the club…

10

Raheem Sterling

Loan from Chelsea (2024)

when Raheem Sterling joins Gunners Arteta arrived from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal last summer and it seemed like a smart move. Not only did he bring in a player who was having huge success in the Premier League, but he didn’t even pay a penny for his signature.

Winger has Score 10 goals At the same time, he provided 8 assists for the Blues in the 2023/24 season and became one of Mauricio Pochettino’s main offensive threats.

As a result, Sterling will be able to continue to contribute to the Gunners this season and may even be recalled to the England squad in the process.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to turn 30 as of yet, managed to score only once Represented the club in the League Cup win over Bolton Wanderers. With both Bukayo Saka and Jesus out injured, the jury is still out on whether he could become one of Arteta’s worst signings.

9

Alexander Zinchenko

Manchester City £32m (2022)

Not only did Jesus join from Manchester City in 2022, Oleksandr Zinchenko also made a move, Gunners lost around £32m.

His positional flexibility – able to play in midfield and at left-back – is seen as a positive, allowing the Ukrainian to fill a range of positions for the Gunners both on and off the ball.

In his first two seasons, Zinchenko 68 appearances He has struggled in all competitions but has struggled this season, playing just 11 games and suffering a series of injuries that have seen him drop down the rankings.

In his limited playing time in the league, the defender Failed to create big chancesHe averaged only 0.1 key passes per game, but his average win rate was 37%.

Zinchenko is one of the most expensive players in Arsenal’s history, but he has yet to fully demonstrate his true talent at the Emirates Stadium and may even be past his best.

8

Fabio Vieira

Porto £34m (2022)

In addition to Jesus and Zinchenko, Arsenal’s other key player signed in 2022 is midfielder Fabio Vieira. this Midfielder joins for £34mBut it didn’t take long for him to live up to the huge fee.

Contributed 8 goals in 35 games After a decent, albeit unspectacular, first season, he failed to move forward last season. A groin injury meant he played just 17 games and struggled to make an impact before being loaned back to Porto.

It’s clear that, at least so far, his signing has been a huge waste of money for Arteta.

7

albert savings bank

Anderlecht £18m (2021)

Albert Sunby joins the group Sold four years ago for £18m Arteta was looking to build for the future and the highly-rated midfielder was just 21 when he arrived.

Appeared 24 times In his first season, he had no points or assists in any of those games. In the 2022/23 season, he dropped further down the pecking order, making 15 appearances before joining Crystal Palace on loan in January.

Since then he has been loaned out to Luton Town and Sevilla, failing to live up to his early image as a potential future star in Arsenal’s midfield.

With 18 months left on his contract, it seems difficult for the Gunners to recoup the £18m they spent on him in 2021.

6

Gabriel Jesus

Manchester City £45m (2022)

When Arteta £45m spent on Gabriel Jesus 2022. Of course, he played a role in Manchester City’s dominance of the Premier League between 2017 and 2022, Scored 95 goals During this process.

It was certainly seen as a major coup for the Gunners, but Jesus hasn’t really turned out to be the talisman many supporters expected upon his arrival.

Brazilian in 96 games Only scored 26 goals. However, his lack of firepower in the final third is not a major issue and his injury record is quite alarming.

he Missed 35 games That was until recently suffering an ACL injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. In terms of cost-effectiveness, Arteta has endured Jesus’ roar.

5

Marquinhos

Sao Paulo £3m (2022)

Gabriel Martinelli’s success at Arsenal has convinced Arteta to return to Brazil in 2022, signing Marquinhos for just £3m.

It was very much a signing for the future but he did make six appearances in his debut season before being loaned out to Norwich City, even scoring on his debut.

Since joining Arsenal, he has been loaned out to Cruzeiro in his home country for the fourth time. The move to the Gunners appears to have happened too quickly as he looks further removed from Arsenal’s first team under Mikel Arteta.

£3m isn’t a huge amount of money, but Marquinhos’ gamble didn’t pay off.

4

Nuno Tavares

Benfica £8m (2021)

Arteta said after the signing: “He is a promising young player who is developing very well.” Nuno Tavares is worth £8 million in 2021.

Capping Portugal’s U21 national team and making 25 appearances for Benfica, the deal looked like a good deal, but Tavares ended up making just 28 appearances for Arsenal, all of which came in his first season.

He has grown into a reliable defender during loan spells at Marseille and Nottingham Forest over the past two seasons, but it is at Lazio, where he is currently on loan, that he has finally shown off his skills.

Does he have any chance of succeeding at Arsenal? Only time will tell, but the defender certainly has a lot of work to do as Arteta has berated him on multiple occasions.

3

Matt Turner

New England Revolution (2022) £7m

Arteta Spending £7 million on a goalkeeper Matt Turner, New England Revolution, MLS 2022.

Despite being Team USA’s first-choice goalkeeper, Turner struggled to impress at the Emirates Stadium, making just seven appearances for the club throughout the 2022/23 season.

The move obviously didn’t work out and he was quickly sold to Nottingham Forest in 2023 Approximately 10 million poundsensuring the club makes substantial profits. This move is undoubtedly one of Arteta’s worst decisions in the transfer market.

Dijon £1.8m (2020)

this £1.8 million paid The signing of Alex Runarsson in 2020 was one of Arteta’s worst transfers during his time at the club.

The Iceland goalkeeper is not expected to get many opportunities in the team as Bernd Leno’s back-up, Only played one Premier League game During the 2020/21 election campaign.

His contract expires in 2024 after spending most of his time in London on various loan spells, but his form at Arsenal was lackluster.

1

William

Free Transfer (2020)

On the surface, Sign Willian for free Arteta believes the transfer ahead of the 2020/21 season is a very smart one. This is a player who has played Nearly 350 games During his time at Chelsea, he scored 63 goals and provided 57 assists while at Stamford Bridge.

Bringing in that experience will be crucial, especially as Arsenal try to build a squad capable of returning to the Champions League and then challenging the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for the league title, but the Brazilian has failed to shine for the Gunners.

He spent just one solitary season in north London, Appeared 37 times in totalonly eight target contributions were recorded during this process, only one of which was a target.

He performed well on his debut against Fulham (where, ironically, he enjoyed a brief career renaissance), but has since been flattered and disappointed on multiple occasions. According to Sofascore data, he Created just 5 big chances in 25 Premier League gamesand he only won half of his duels in the top flight.

Willian wins despite Gunners not spending a penny to bring him to Emirates Stadium £100,000 per week during his time at the club.

With only one goal scored, the move did not have the desired effect and he left England to join Corinthians, sacrificing a large sum of money to make the move happen.

His lack of influence and high wages mean he is Arteta’s worst signing since taking charge of the club, and fans will hope this mistake is not repeated in the future.