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

#8 Stefan Malz

Malz was a versatile midfielder

After failing to secure Dietmar Hamann, Wenger signed Malz from 1860 Munich for £650,000 in 1999. The Frenchman described Malz as a ‘versatile midfielder’ and a ‘sound acquisition’ for Arsenal.

However, Malz failed to dislodge Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira or Robert Pires from Arsenal's starting line-up. Malz was soon off-loaded to Kaiserslautern after just two seasons. The midfielder made eight appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, scoring on two occasions.

He scored his first goal on his debut against Preston North End in the League Cup, with his second goal coming in a defeat at Newcastle United on the final day of the 1999–2000 season.

Unfortunately, he never really made the grade at Kaiserslautern either, appearing just 16 times in five years. Perhaps, the highlight of his short Arsenal career would be the runners-up medal he received in the Uefa Cup Final loss to Galatasaray.

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#9 Igors Stepanovs

Stepanovs makes a sliding challenge

The Latvian centre-half was signed by Wenger for £1.35 million from Skonto Riga in 2000. He made a good start to life in England, scoring on his debut in a League Cup defeat against Ipswich in the 2000/01 season.

Hereafter, it was a free fall for Stepanovs after a horror performance against a rampant Manchester United team. Arsenal was mauled 6-1 and Stepanovs never really recovered following the Old Trafford humiliation. He remained a fringe player during his time at Arsenal.

Overall, Stepanovs played 31 times in all competitions for Arsenal. He spent the 2003/04 season on loan at Beveren. In 2004, he left Arsenal and continued his career in Switzerland, Denmark, Russia as well as his native Latvia before retiring in 2011.