10 Arsenal Players Who Weren't Worth The Hassle

by Michael Ramsay

1. Emmanuel Adebayor

You would be hard pressed to find a more hated figure at the Emirates Stadium than the Togolese international. While Ashley Cole may run him close, Emmanuel Adebayor has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Gunners support for many a year, dating back to when he was donning the Arsenal jersey on a regular basis.

While Adebayor enjoyed goal-scoring success in the Arsenal jersey, and ultimately proved to be a great find from Monaco in the winter of 2006, his stay in the capital was marred by accusations of greed, laziness and apathy.

Two years after his arrival in North London, the former Monaco striker had recently embarked on a breakthrough 30 goal season, and used the summer of 2008 to flirt with the elite European clubs. Possibly a cynical ploy to increase his wage demands, the Arsenal board relented and doubled his wages to £80,000 p/wk.

He became involved in dressing-room conflicts, derby punch-ups, and began to become dogged by a spate of injuries. With the new bumper contract, Adebayor was seen to relax slightly and become disinterested, registering just 10 league goals before being shipped off to Manchester City in the summer of 2009.

While Adebayor was never a popular figure during his time in North London, since his departure, he has become something of a hate figure. In September 2009, Man City took on Arsenal in an ill-tempered clash, in which the Togolese frontman was seen to stamp on Robin van Persie, and run the length of the pitch to celebrate his goal in front of the Arsenal supporters. Inciting hatred, vitriol and violence, Adebayor felt the brunt force of their ire, as he was showed by blunt objects raining down from the away section.

He has since raised the proverbial two fingers to any relationship he may have had with the Gunners, by signing for Spurs in 2011. A decent player he may be, but he only ever hit more than ten league goals for the Gunners once €“ was he really worth the lucrative wages, and more to the point, was he really worth the hassle?

Contributor
Contributor

Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future. Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.