Arsenal ‘consider’ £5m Chelsea reject as Arteta’s obsession with Blues cast-offs continues
Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga after learning of a surprisingly low release clause in his contract.
Kepa spent last season on loan at Bournemouth and is due to return to Stamford Bridge, but new head coach Enzo Maresca has no plans for him.
Chelsea’s goalkeeping department is already bloated, with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen among those underwhelming between the sticks.
France and AC Milan No.1 Mike Maignan is the target to solve that, which leaves Kepa firmly on the chopping block.
Bournemouth are thought to be keen on making his move permanent after an impressive campaign, but Arsenal have now emerged as surprise contenders.
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The Gunners are in the market for a back-up to David Raya, having sold Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton last summer and bizarrely replacing him with Bournemouth’s Neto, who made just one appearance all season and was ineligible for the Carabao Cup.
Arteta has been tracking Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia as Raya’s understudy, but with the 23-year-old seemingly bound for Barcelona, attention has turned to Kepa — available for the bargain price of £5million thanks to a clause in his Chelsea contract.
According to Luca Bendoni, Arsenal are ‘considering’ a move.
He posted on X: “Arsenal are considering a potential deal for Chelsea’s GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is available for a £5m release clause, per English sources.”
News of Arsenal’s interest in Kepa has been everywhere since Bendoni broke the news, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the report.
Should the Gunners go through with the signing, Kepa would become the fifth player Arteta has signed directly from Chelsea.
The worst of those remains Willian, who flopped spectacularly after joining on a free transfer in 2020.
The others — Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Jorginho — all faced criticism from Arsenal fans before kicking a ball, and two of them have turned out to be pretty inspired buys.
Long before Arteta, there were also David Luiz (signed by Unai Emery) and Petr Cech (brought in by Arsene Wenger for around £11m in 2015).
All seven baffled supporters at the time — and understandably so — but a fair few ended up working out.
So while some may snigger at Arsenal’s interest in Kepa, this could be one of the few Chelsea cast-offs that actually makes perfect sense.
He’s not being signed to start regularly, comes off the back of a solid season with Bournemouth, and brings experience and Premier League know-how.
And for £5m? You really can’t go wrong.
