Arsenal torched over imminent signing that makes no sense

Steve Pearson 25 Jun 2025 9:54 AM

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta standing in front of the Arsenal club crest

A signing Arsenal are expected to complete later this week has been lambasted by one of the club’s former defenders, with the Gunners accused of being short-sighted.

Arsenal are yet to make their first signing of the summer, though that will soon change. Martin Zubimendi will become arrival No 1 after jetting into England to finalise his transfer earlier this week.

The Gunners have agreed to pay Real Sociedad €65m which is slightly above the midfield maetsro’s €60m release clause. Doing so has allowed Arsenal to pay in instalments rather than up front and in one go.

Many Arsenal fans will be hoping a potent new striker is signing No 2. However, the next man to follow Zubimendi into The Emirates will come at the opposite end of the pitch.

Arsenal have agreed to activate Kepa Arrizabalaga’s modest £5m release clause. The Chelsea goalkeeper – who still holds the record for the most expensive GK transfer of all time at £71.6m – will arrive to become Arsenal’s new back-up.

Kepa, 30, will take the place of loanee Neto who will re-join parent club Bournemouth on June 30.

The Spaniard shone during his loan stint with the Cherries last term and while he didn’t justify his lofty price tag at Chelsea, he was by no means a disastrous signing.

Nevertheless, former Arsenal and Chelsea defender, William Gallas, has taken aim at Arsenal’s move that The Athletic state will cross the line this week.

“I think Kepa to Arsenal would be a strange signing,” began Gallas (as quoted by Goal).

“The second-choice goalkeeper should be a young player who is learning that can take over from David Raya in a few years time, I’m not sure why you’d bring in someone who is older than him with no eye to the future.

“Arsenal should be looking for someone in their early 20s who can learn and grow, playing in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Kepa isn’t that player.”

Is Arsenal strategy uncommon?

There are merits to developing a younger goalkeeper who’ll feature in the cup competitions. However, the flipside of that argument is if David Raya were to suffer an injury, would Mikel Arteta want experience or inexperience filling the void in the biggest games?

A glance across the Premier League at Arsenal’s title rivals shows featuring young goalkeepers as back-up is not all that common.

Liverpool struck gold with Caoimhin Kelleher (26) in recent years who has since been replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili (24).

Mamardashvili has racked up over 200 senior appearances in club football and can hardly be classed as an up-and-comer despite being 24.

Manchester City’s primary back-up to Ederson over the last three years is Stefan Ortega who is 32.

The veteran famously made a superb one-v-one stop to deny Son Heung-min in May of 2024 that helped City defend the Premier League title at Arsenal’s expense.