Arsene Wenger has an incredible reputation for both developing and getting the best out of his players. His success at Arsenal was largely built on buying cheap players and maximising their potential by transforming them into superstars. Despite all his success in this area, Arsene Wenger was occasionally guilty of signing a player and stunting his career. These were players with all the talent in the world, but once Arsene Wenger was done with them, and being benched or not being played in positions that they were comfortable with, these players did not end up doing well. Their careers were hurt forever.
3 Gervinho
Gervinho’s ability is undoubted. He shone continuously on the International stage with the Ivory Coast and he enjoyed a prolific spell at Roma after being sold by Arsenal. Eden Hazard even named him as the best player that he has ever played with.
When signed by Arsene Wenger as a 24-year-old, all signs pointed towards him being developed into the latest Arsenal superstar. His £10 Million fee looked to be a bargain whilst his pace and directness should have made Premier League defences fear him. After being sent off in his first game, Gervinho quickly established himself in the team and ended his debut season with 37 appearances.
2 Lukas Podolski
The German forward joined Arsenal in 2012 for a deal in the range of £10 million. Signing a 27-year-old German international closing in on nearly 100 caps seemed to be a major coup for the London side. A promising debut season saw the German score 16 goals despite prominently being deployed from the wing. His second season was challenging as he struggled with injuries but the player still averaged more than a goal every three games. Podolski also earned his first trophy with the club after playing 60 minutes in the 2014 FA Cup Final against Hull City.
1 Andrey Arshavin
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Arshavin joined Arsenal in 2009 for a reported club record fee of £15 million. The high fee combined with his stunning performances at Euro 2008 resulted in Arsenal fans thinking that they had signed one of the world’s best attacking players. After his impressive performances during his first 18 months in London, many fans assumed that he would eventually go down as one of Arsenal’s greats.
Then suddenly his performances seemed to fall off a cliff during the 2010/11 season. Arshavin’s fitness and attitude was questioned by critics who were left to ponder how a player’s performances could decline so quickly. Although Arsene Wenger kept his trust in the player for the remainder of the season, Gervinho was quickly signed as a direct replacement when the season ended. This was the end of Wenger’s faith in a player who could have potentially been moved to a deeper position to counter his lack of pace.