Arsenal have set themselves up for (our) hilarity with Illan Meslier transfer
We are not ones to wish injuries on players but Arsenal have set themselves up for a hilarious sequence of events this season.
While David Raya is the undisputed No.1, at least for his club if not country, filling the position of capable No. 2 has not been easy for Mikel Arteta.
Last season they had Kepa Arrizabalaga but his performance in the League Cup final seemingly put the final nail in a coffin that could see him leave for £5m this summer, eight years after he was bought by Chelsea for £71.6m.
But Arsenal fans breathing a sigh of relief at the possible departure of Kepa should prepare themselves for one of the most error-prone keepers the Championship, and briefly the Premier League, has ever seen.
Illan Meslier’s mistakes go back a long way but Leeds reached a tipping point during their 2024/25 Championship campaign.
The Yorkshire club were top of the table but that almost seemed in spite of their keeper rather than because of him, with the Frenchman costing them 10 points during the season.
The most egregious of those came against Sunderland when Leeds were winning 2-1 away going into injury time. A tame ball was chipped over the backline with a pace that some sloths would call a bit slow.
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The ball bounced at a perfect height for Meslier and yet somehow he conspired to completely miss it as it went straight into the net. Meslier blamed a non-existent bobble before hugging Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris.
He made mistakes against Hull, Swansea, Portsmouth and Preston and did so for Leeds in the Premier League as well.
Why then have Arsenal decided that a player dropped by Leeds is good enough for the reigning English champions? Sure, recruiting a No. 2 is not an easy task but neighbours Tottenham have got a better back-up option in Martin Dubravka.
Arsenal fans may say Meslier is third choice behind youngster Tommy Setford but even still, why bother signing someone who is clearly not at the required standard to play for a top-level club?
Cut to March when Arsenal are in the hunt for all four trophies and Raya has an awkward fall; it is very easy to imagine a scenario where a keeper who almost cost Leeds the Championship title is now Arsenal’s only hope for success in the Champions League.
Which for us would be absolutely hilarious. As ever, all we want from football is the funniest outcome.
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