10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Arsenal

#6: Francis Jeffers

Francis Jeffers joined Arsenal during the Invincibles era.

Francis Jeffers rejected a new contract at Everton to join Arsenal in 2001 following a £8 million deal. However, the Englishman never had the mettle to battle against the Invincibles at Arsenal.

The starting XI consisted of the legendary Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Freddie Ljungberg, and Patrick Viera. Jeffers being the most inexperienced, found it hard to win a starting berth under Wenger.

With the few chances he was given, the English forward failed to impress. Jeffers failed to live up to the tag of 'fox-in-the-box' he had earned at Goodison Park. Also, he had a fall-out with Emmanuel Petit at Arsenal and was forced to serve a loan spell later with former employers Everton.

The English forward escaped in 2004 with just 4 goals in 22 appearances after three years at Arsenal. Jeffers later stated that he regretted joining the Gunners, and was never quite the same after he left them.