On Sunday afternoon, FC Seoul defeated K League 1 rivals Seongnam 1-0 thanks to a goal from Go Yo-Han. The black and red clad club won for the second time in the young South Korean season and strengthened their bid as title contenders. One name on Seoul’s team sheet looked very familiar to Arsenal supporters. It was the name of former Arsenal striker Park Chu-Young (Ju-Yeoung Park). The Gunners are still fighting for a Premier League top four finish and supporters will be following the remaining games intently. Supporters can use the Betfred promo code 2019 and wager on each Arsenal game.
Over the years, many pundits and fans have attempted to understand just how Park ended up at the Emirates and just what went wrong. Some have labelled Park as Arsene Wenger’s worst signing. Others have simply stated Park never lived up to expectations.
Regardless, Park remains a transfer bust that played just one Premier League game at the Emirates.
Park Chu-Young: Arsenal arrival
The summer of 2011 saw Arsenal lose three of their most important players. Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri had joined Manchester City. Their transfers came on either side of midfielder Cesc Fabregas’ departure for Barcelona. Wenger was left with a creative hole in his attack due to Nasri and Fabregas leaving. Under manager Unai Emery, the Gunners still have a lot to play for this term. Arsenal supporters can follow each match with William Hill and wager on their next game in the Premier League.
Needing a player who could play as a No. 10 or second striker, Wenger went into panic mode. The manager was tipped off that Monaco was in the market to sell Park and a deal was quickly struck for £5 million. However, it only took a few days and training sessions for Wenger to have buyer’s remorse.
Park Chu-Young: What went wrong?
Prior to Arsenal’s interest, Park was set to sign for Lille. The French club had just won the Ligue 1 title and Park was about to play alongside Eden Hazard. However, Arsenal’s interest changed Park’s career trajectory.
Park joined Arsenal coming off a solid season at Monaco. He had scored 12 goals in 33 appearances. He was already regarded as South Korea’s best player and the man to lead them into the 2014 World Cup.
On paper, Park’s signing looked positive. He scored 26 goals in 103 matches for Monaco. Unfortunately, the goals dried up following departure from France.
Park Chu-Young: From promising star to flop
The striker played just one Premier League match under Wenger. It came nearly five months after signing for Arsenal. Even then, it was just an eight-minute cameo in an Arsenal shirt.
Park did feature in five cup matches. His claim to fame was a League Cup goal against Bolton Wanderers in October. It still wasn’t enough to convince Wenger to play him more often.
The South Korean moved to Watford and Celta Vigo on loan before leaving Arsenal on a free transfer in 2014. A stop-off in Saudi Arabia predated a return to FC Seoul in 2015.
Park will go down in history as a transfer flop at Arsenal, and perhaps, Wenger’s biggest blunder buy. Park has always been a good player but never great. A striker who could score a handful of goals, but never be the man teams could count on.
Now 33, the former Arsenal player will be long remembered by Arsenal fans for his failed three years at the Emirates.