The worst signing ever for every Premier League team

Arsenal: Francis Jeffers, £8 million

Arsene Wenger has been in charge at Arsenal for over 20 years. Last season was the first in Wenger’s history Arsenal didn’t make the Champions League. Even during the “dark years,” as fans have coined them, the Gunners never finished outside of the top four. That was done mostly through shrewd moves in the transfer market, but even a notorious penny-pincher like Wenger makes confounding moves every once in awhile.

While forward Francis Jeffers may not have been the first confusing transfer Wenger ever made, he may just be the worst. In 2001, Jeffers made the move from Everton to Arsenal for a fee of £8 million. At that time, spending £8 million on a player was considered to be a splash. What made this transfer perplexing, besides the excessive amount of cash, was who Arsenal had at center forward at the time.

Thierry Henry made his move from Juventus to Arsenal in 1999 for a reported fee of £11 million. In his first two seasons with Arsenal, Henry scored 48 goals in all competitions. By any measure, Henry was Arsenal’s present and future at the position.

Francis Jeffers was 20 years old when he made the move from Everton, and was billed as a “fox in the box” striker. While that initially seemed like a shrewd move, Jeffers never came good on any promise he showed at Everton and England’s under-21 team. He still is joint top scorer for England’s U21 team with 13 goals in only 16 appearances.

Jeffers only scored eight goals in 39 total appearances for Arsenal, half of which came in cup competitions. Whether it was injuries or poor play, he never found a permanent spot for the Gunners. For all the promise he showed at Everton and in England’s youth teams, combined with the high price tag, Jeffers has to be considered one of the worst signings Arsenal and Wenger have ever made.