10 Players Who Probably Regretted Joining Arsenal

9. Denilson (2006-13)

Once upon a time Denilson was believed to be the next big thing in Brazilian football - the type of player who could have used his superb passing game to help a rudderless Brazil avoid their semi-final humiliation at World Cup 2014. However, he chose to leave Sao Paolo for the comparative glitz and glamour of Arsenal at a young age and subsequently derailed his career entirely.

Now approaching the twilight of his career, it's fair to say Denilson has wasted his potential, having spent the bulk of the last five years in the UAE. When he moved to Arsenal in 2006, the extreme hike in quality led to him putting in mediocre performances, which saw Arsene Wenger quickly lose patience. He only managed to secure some regular league starts in the 2008/09 season due to the departure of experienced players Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva and Alexander Hleb, but soon found himself replaced by a blossoming Jack Wilshere (that went well also... ).

After years of mediocrity at Arsenal, Denilson was loaned back to Sao Paolo before being sold back to the Brazilian side. Denilson was right back where he started before his catastrophic time with Arsenal and the hype surrounding him had well and truly died. And he never did earn a Brazil cap.