Financial Fair Play and Arsene Wenger’s 10 worst bargain buys

#4 Alberto Mendez

Neil Clement (R) and Alberto Mendez (L)

Wenger decided to sign Mendez after watching him play against ESC Rangierbahnhof Nurnberg. Wenger used his contacts and was quick to secure his target for £250,000 from SC Feucht, a 5th tier club in Germany. At the time Mendez was 22-years-old, a business administration student and was shocked to get a call from Arsenal.

The German would go on to make a few appearances in the Double-winning season and even score in a Champions League game against Panathinaikos.

Mendez would never really hit the heights at Arsenal and hereafter he was loaned out to AEK Athens, then SpVgg Unterhaching in the Bundesliga and finally to Spanish side Racing Ferrol before being released. The midfielder played in only four league games for Arsenal during his 5 years at the club.

Mendez would continue to ply his trade in the lower league clubs of Spain and Germany until his retirement from the game at the age of 36.

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#5 Christopher Wreh

Christopher Wreh (L) celebrates the Community Shield victory

The Liberian joined the club in 1997 from Monaco for £300,000. Wreh was the fourth choice striker behind Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, and Nicolas Anelka and after the arrival of Thierry Henry, he was virtually pushed out of the club and shipped out on loans spells to AEK Athens, Birmingham and Den Bosch. He finally sealed a permanent move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia in 2000.

Wreh’s two-year spell at the club netted 3 goals including an important goal in the F.A Cup semi-final victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1998. Wreh picked up a Premier league and F.A cup medal before departing Highbury.