9. Kaba Diawara
Though some of you may think "who?" when reading this, Diawara was signed by the Gunners from French side Bordeaux in 1998. The 23-year-old showed promise before Wenger snapped him up, known for being a physical striker and scoring 14 in 60 league games in the French top tier. His brief spell at Arsenal turned out to be a poor one and, quite simply,
£2.5 million wasted. The 13-time Gambia international had an unremarkable spell at the club and this may be a reason why readers won't know of his existence, let alone the fact that he played for a club as big as Arsenal. His statistics for the club personify his lack of success - 15 appearances in all competitions, with 12 as a substitute, and zero goals. As a bit-part player who was brought in to come on and have a large impact when doing so, Diawara never looked comfortable on the big stage and looked even more out of his depth with every appearance. After a goalless first season in which Wenger concluded that Diawara was a regrettable signing and, quite simply, deadwood, he was soon shipped back to France to join Marseille for £3 million. Many may say that the fact Arsenal made a profit on Kaba does not make him a regrettable signing, but he was quite simply a waste of wages. After his brief spell at Marseille, Diawara went on to play for 12 different clubs from across the globe, including spells in Qatar and Cyprus, before retiring in 2009. Quite incredible, Kaba scored less than 40 goals in the 12 years after leaving the Gunners, which in itself shows that Diawara was never meant to play in the big leagues.
Transfer fee: £2.5 million.