Edu Gaspar has been an incredible director for Arsenal, signing some great players. However, here are five examples of when his transfers flopped at the Emirates Stadium.
Edu Gaspar will soon step down from his role at Arsenal to pursue a different adventure. While the news has come as a shock to many, it is also met with fans entering panic stations.
After all, Edu Gaspar has done a stellar job in his role as director. Once the technical director, he soon became the sporting director, During which time, he has orchestrated many great transfers.
We have already taken a look into the best players signed by Arsenal during the Edu Gaspar era.
However, let's not be blindsided. While Edu had a great hit rate, he also made his fair share of mistakes, like any person.
Alas, here are five of the biggest transfer flops during the Edu Gaspar era. This article will address only signings made during and after January 2020.
Five players signed by Edu Gaspar who flopped at Arsenal
1. Jakub Kiwior
The most glaringly obvious example of a transfer flop is Jakub Kiwior. This is not because he is the biggest flop but because he is one who remains at the club.
The Poland international was signed in the 2023 January transfer window. It is safe to say that the £17.6m transfer fee is yet to be repaid in dividends.
Of course, there is still time for Jakub Kiwior to remove himself from this list. Arsenal fans hope that he continues to mature.
2. Fabio Vieira
Fabio Vieira is another player who is still technically at Arsenal. However, at this point in time, he is out on loan at Porto.
Since Vieira was signed in 2022, he has only scored two Premier League goals. It seems like he is falling behind physically and he cannot keep up with the demands of the Premier League.
Still, there is no denying that a technical maestro exists within Fabio Vieira. Arsenal has seen this with some of his moments on the pitch. He just needs to improve the physical side of his game before he can be considered a good Edu transfer.
3. Albert Sambi Lokonga
Signed in 2021, Albert Sambi Lokonga arrived at Arsenal with plenty of promise. However, as time elapsed, it is fair to say he never fulfilled any promise.
Perhaps it was a case of Sambi Lokonga not being up to scratch for the Premier League. However, he did play better for Luton Town on loan...
Despite still being a contracted Arsenal player, fans wrote him off a long time ago.
4. Pablo Mari
One of the strangest signings in Arsenal history.
Unfortunately, there isn't much to cover in regard to Pablo Mari. He wasn't signed for an extortionate fee but he produced far from extraorindary performances for Arsenal, whenever he did play.
5. Cedric Soares
Cedric Soares was a free transfer so it might seem harsh to single him out as a bad signing. However, he did nothing to signify he was a good transfer, either.
Given the amount of time Cedric was at the club, he only ate away at invaluable wage resources which could have been invested into a player who knew how to operate his position.