Arsenal enjoyed a near decade of success under Arsene Wenger between 1996 and 2006, with the Frenchman changing the landscape of English football while leading the Gunners to three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, coming close to European glory on two occasions also.
His success in the transfer market was key to all of this, managing to sign players such as Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars and Sol Campbell and turn them into the finest on the continent within their respective positions which made Arsenal a club to be feared.
His final decade wasn’t as enjoyable, with the manager seemingly losing his touch when it came to transfers. Lucas Perez, Calum Chambers and Gervinho all arrived for fees which probably didn’t reflect their actual ability, and they struggled to live up to expectations.
FootballFanCast VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
One of his worst signings however was that of Sébastien Squillaci, who rinsed the club during his stint in London.
How much did Sébastien Squillaci cost Arsenal?
The Frenchman arrived at the Gunners in the summer of 2010 for a fee of £4m from La Liga side Sevilla, and it looked as though it could be another Wenger masterclass in the transfer market.
Here was a defender who had won two Ligue 1 titles with Lyon while also claiming a Spanish Cup with Sevilla and had represented France on 21 occasions, including at the 2010 World Cup and arrived with considerable pedigree.
His spell with the Gunners would be an unequivocal disaster. His first season saw the player make 32 appearances and score twice, yet over the next two campaigns he would make just seven appearances across all competitions all while collecting wages reported to be around £50k-per-week in the process.
He twice clashed heads with fellow defender Laurent Koscielny and was sent off against Huddersfield in the FA Cup during his spell at the club and Wenger finally lost patience with the defender, as his performances left much to be desired.
The former Lyon centre-back left the North Londoners in the summer of 2013, returning to France to join SC Bastia and across his 148-week spell under Wenger, Squillaci…
..
