2. Emmanuel Adebayor – January 2006
Arsenal fans, look away!
Although it might be a bold decision to include Emmanuel Adebayor on this list considering his dark past with the club, there’s no denying the fact that the Togolese striker was one of Arsenal’s best winter transfer businesses ever.
During the January transfer window of the 2005/06 season, Arsene Wenger decided to sign the former Monaco striker for a fee of €10m. At that time, Adebayor was already one of the highly rated strikers in the French top flight.
However, after moving to the Premier League, Adebayor took his game to a whole new level, getting involved in eight goals in his first season. He then followed up with another eight goals, in his first full season with Arsenal before netting a staggering total of 24 goals during the 2007/08 season.
The Togolese international netted a total of 62 goals in 142 games for Arsenal in all competitions, before setting sail to Manchester City, in a move which gave Arsenal a net profit of €19m. However, his unhappy exit coupled with his ridiculous celebration after scoring against the Gunners makes him one of the most hated ex-Arsenal players to date!
1. Theo Walcott – January 2006
January 2006 was a gem of a transfer window for Arsenal, it seems as the club not only signed Adebayor but also one of the most highly rated youngsters at that time, in the shape of Theo Walcott.
The former Southampton man was touted as the future of English football before Arsenal wrapped him up for a fee of €10.5m. Although the winger might not have been able to live up to that expectation, he has certainly been a key asset for the Gunners over the years.
Since his move to Emirates in 2006, Theo Walcott has made almost 400 appearances for the club, scoring a total of 108 goals as well as providing 78 assists. He is currently the club’s fourth most lethal striker of all time with only the likes of Ian Wright, Robin Van Persie and club legend Theirry Henry managing to better his tally.
However, the English international finally chose to put an end to his Arsenal career, not more than just a couple of weeks ago, when he moved to Everton. It will be interesting to see how the ex-Gooner will fare at his new club this season.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
