Since entering the dugout in December 2019, it would be fair to say that Mikel Arteta has got a lot right at Arsenal.
The Spaniard has transformed a painfully mediocre team unable to qualify for the Champions League into regular Premier League title challengers.
The former captain has got plenty of things right off the pitch as well, from setting a clear standard to making excellent additions to the squad, such as Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and David Raya.
2023/24
2nd
89
2022/23
2nd
84
2021/22
5th
69
2020/21
8th
61
2019/20
8th
56
However, he’s also guilty of some mistakes, especially in recruitment, as one of his signings from just a few years ago has seen his valuation plummet since moving to N5.
Arteta's worst signings
In terms of recent examples, you can’t get much worse than Raheem Sterling.
The Chelsea loanee was undoubtedly a panic signing on the final day of the summer transfer window, and while he told the fans that they would “see the best” of him in red and white, they’ve seen anything but.
The former England regular has only managed to amass a paltry tally of one goal and two assists in 21 games, which comes to a dire average of a goal involvement every seven games.
Worse still, his one goal and one of his assists came against League One Bolton Wanderers back in September.
When deciding to bring the Kingston-born winger to the club, Arteta and Co had clearly forgotten about the equally dreadful signing of Willian from the Pensioners in the summer of 2020, who put pen to paper on a three-year deal when he moved for free.
Appearances
25
9
2
1
Goals
1
0
0
0
Assists
5
2
0
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.24
0.22
0.00
0.00
However, despite picking up a couple of assists on his debut, the Brazilian was out the door the following summer after agreeing to terminate his contract due to his dismally poor showings across the campaign that saw him rack up one goal and seven assists in 37 games and land a place on the list of the club’s worst ever signings for years to come.
With that said, as bad as the signings of Willian and Sterling are, at least they didn’t cost the club a fee to get over the line, which cannot be said about another of Arteta’s disappointing acquisitions, who’s seen his valuation plummet in recent seasons.
The Arteta signing whose value has collapsed
Arsenal made several game-changing signings in the summer of 2022, and while the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus are probably surplus to requirements at the club today, they were, at the very least, vital to the revival of the team, which cannot be said for Fabio Vieira.
The Gunners made the surprise decision to spend around £34m on the Portuguese midfielder after an impressive season for Porto in which he scored seven goals and provided 16 assists in just 39 appearances, totalling 2004 minutes.
That meant the Santa Maria da Feira-born dynamo averaged a goal involvement every 1.69 games, or every 87.13 minutes, which at the very least helped explain why the North Londoners thought he was worth a gamble.
Unfortunately, it’s a gamble that has not paid off, as while he was never dreadful in England, he wasn’t particularly impressive either.
For example, across his two full campaigns in the capital, the supposedly “exceptional” ace, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, was only able to score three goals and provide nine assists in 49 appearances, totalling 1886 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 4.08 games, or every 157.16 minutes.
With it clear that the 24-year-old was not progressing, the club decided to send him back to Porto on loan this season, but while he’s been a little more productive in Portugal, he’s still not hit the heights of 21/22, amassing a tally of just three goals and four assists in 29 appearances.
Unsurprisingly, three years of mediocre displays have seen the midfielder’s valuation plummet, and according to Transfermarkt, he’s now worth just €22m, which is about £18m, or a whopping £16m less than he cost Arteta and Co two and a half years ago.
Season
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
Appearances
39
33
16
29
Goals
7
2
1
3
Assists
16
6
3
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
0.24
0.25
0.24
Ultimately, Arsenal have had a pretty good track record with signings over the years, but considering how the last few years have gone, Vieira would have to be looked upon as a flop, at least for now.
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