Arsenal complete cut-price Kepa deal
Kepa Arrizabalaga will serve as backup to David Raya after completing a permanent transfer to Arsenal.
Arsenal have completed a £5m deal to sign goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea, following the Spaniard's loan stint with Bournemouth.
David Raya started all 38 of Arsenal's Premier League matches last term, with Neto serving as backup after arriving on a one-season loan from Bournemouth.
But with the experienced Brazilian returning to the south coast, Mikel Arteta has moved for a second Cherries goalkeeper within the space of 12 months.
Kepa spent the 2024-25 season on loan with Andoni Iraola's side from Chelsea, who parted with a £72m fee to sign him from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
Having fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge, Kepa enjoyed something of a resurgence with Bournemouth, playing 31 league games as they finished ninth in the table.
He kept eight clean sheets and recorded a save percentage of 70.9% - the eighth-best figure among all goalkeepers to make more than five appearances in the competition.
The 30-year-old has signed a three-year deal at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal activated a release clause in his contract with Chelsea, and he hopes to help them collect silverware after three straight runners-up finishes in the Premier League.
"I'm really, really happy to be here, really excited and looking forward to what is coming," Kepa told Arsenal's website.
"The ambition that is shown in this club, when I talk with Mikel and [goalkeeping coach] Inaki [Cana], how much they show me their desire to win... I think we are so close to winning and, hopefully, altogether, we can achieve it."
Arteta said: "We are really happy to have Kepa joining us. He is a player we know, having come up against him many times in recent seasons.
"He brings a wealth of experience, which his team-mates will benefit from, and he has a real hunger to win.
"I know he will fit in perfectly, already knowing some of his team-mates, and we are really excited about his future with us."
According to the Opta Power Rankings, only Manchester United face a tougher start to the Premier League season – judged on their first five games – than Arsenal. They go to Old Trafford in their 2025-26 opener on August 17.
