The 5 worst signings in Arsenal's history

#4 Shkodran Mustafi

Shkodran Mustafi's mistakes against Crystal Palace cost Arsenal a Champions League spot

Germany’s Shkodran Mustafi remains at Arsenal at the time of writing and so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he could turn his career around at the Emirates, but right now that looks about as likely as the Gunners winning the Champions League this season – and of course, they’re not involved in the competition.

Mustafi – who cost a monstrous £35m in the summer of 2016 when he made the move from Spanish side Valencia – was supposed to shore up the Gunners’ somewhat creaking defence, but despite doing well in his first season, even going unbeaten in his first 18 games for the club, he was quickly exposed soon after.

Despite being one of Arsenal’s first-choice defenders in 2017/18 and 2018/19, the German’s form completely fell off a cliff and he was guilty of numerous errors that led to opposition goals – most notably in a match against Crystal Palace last April, when his botches led to a 2-3 loss that essentially cost the Gunners a Champions League spot for 2019/20.

Considering the large transfer fee that Arsenal paid for him – at a point in time when such fees were a rare thing for the Gunners to pay – it’s hard not to class Mustafi as one of their worst-ever signings. It’s hardly a surprise that he’s been frozen out of Premier League action thus far in the current season.