When Arsene Wenger announced the signing of Amaury Bischoff, the Arsenal manager admitted he was taking a gamble: the midfielder had been plagued with injury and was even joining the Gunners with a groin problem at the time of his arrival.
Signing on as a free in the summer of 2008, Bischoff struggled to make an impact following his return to full fitness, making just one Premier League appearance, which came against Portsmouth in May 2009.
Following a dismal campaign, the Portuguese player was released by the club, who had to admit that their gamble had well and truly failed. For his own sanity, Bischoff also confessed that he wanted to leave the club in search of first team football.
As transfers go, Arsenal’s move for Bischoff is without doubt one of the strangest, not least because his signing was admitted as a gamble, but also because his career is still yet to take off, which demonstrates that he was never going to be good enough for the Premier League.