Up next is another centre back, Mikael Silvestre, and just like Igor Stepanovs, the deal that brought the Frenchman to Arsenal must go down as one of the most bizarre in the club’s history.
The international full-back joined the Gunners in the summer of 2008, arriving at the club from rivals Manchester United for an undisclosed fee, having spent nearly a decade with the Red Devils, and it’s fair to say that his decision to join Arsene Wenger’s side came as a shock to many, not least the club’s fans.
The centre back made 26 league appearances during two years with Arsenal, however he never demonstrated the talent he had while at Old Trafford, for where he made over 350 appearances.
His signing is also a strange one because of the context surrounding the transfer. The season before, Arsenal had finished third and just four points off top spot, and when they were in dire need of strengthening, Wenger elected to sign a 31-year-old centre back that Manchester United were happy to offload. To this day the signing of Silvestre still confuses Arsenal fans.