Striker 2: Francis Jeffers
Before I go on to describe the career of Francis Jeffers at Arsenal, I am going to say that in my opinion he is above all else the worst signing that the club has ever made, bar none. A young prodigy at Everton, he had scored a large number of goals for the Toffees as a teenager, and was seen as having so much potential he was offered the largest contract offer in the club's history. However, he rejected this offer, as he was then keen on a move to the Gunners. In many cases, I wish he had just signed it and left Arsenal hanging.
He was signed for £10 million, and this is probably one of the chief reasons that Wenger prefers to sign players young for little money. Instead of a 'fox in the box' as he was so often compared to, he was rather a fish out of water, as he was in no way either prolific or explosive as a striker. Jeffers did manage to get a goal in his single cap with England, he was only able to score 9 goals in 39 appearances, most of these against lower-league teams in the domestic cups. He was certainly no presence in the Premier League, and was no threat to the preferred striker partnership. He was considered at one point the future of English strikers alongside Wayne Rooney, but his time at Arsenal illustrated clearly that this was never going to happen. Since leaving the club, he has regressed down the leagues, and has yet to reach double figure goals in a season, despite now turning out in League 2 for Accrington Stanley. Certainly the worst signing and least impressive striker in the club's history.
Other contenders: Chris Kiwomya, Marouane Chamakh So that's my Arsenal Worst Eleven do you agree or disagree? Who would you add?