Arsenal confirms Kepa Arrizabalaga signing Chelsea – seven years after he became a member of London Rivals for World Record £ 72 million

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga Chelsea After activating his £ 5 million release clause.

The 30-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the Emirates and will compete with David Raya for the first choice.

He has spent the past two seasons on loan Real Madrid And Bournemouth. The Spaniard brings the experience to be part of two Champions League-winning squadrons with Chelsea and Madrid, also win Laliga To the last in 2023-24.

Kepa will be Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, although the real Sociedad -midfielder Martin Zubimendi and BrentfordFrom ‘s Christian Norgaard is expected to follow soon.

He said to Arsenal’s club website: ‘I am really very, very happy to be here, really enthusiastic and look forward to what is coming.

‘The ambition that is shown in this club when I talk to Mikel [Arteta] and Inaki [Cana]How much they show me their desire to win … I think we are so close to winning and hopefully we can achieve it. ‘

Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed for Arsenal for a three -year -old deal of London Rivals Chelsea

Arsenal paid a release clause of £ 5 million to grab the 30-year-old Spaniard of Chelsea

Mikel Arteta said his team will benefit from Kepa’s ‘wealth of experience’ and ‘Hunger to Win’

Mikel Arteta said: ‘We are very happy that Kepa is joining us. He is a player we know, because he has often come across him in recent seasons. He brings a wealth of experience that his teammates will benefit from, and he has a real hunger to win.

‘Kepa works hard and will raise our levels. I know he will fit perfectly, already know some of his teammates, and we are really enthusiastic about his future with us. ‘

His move from Stamford Bridge comes seven years after he joined Athletic Bilbao in a world record £ 72 million switch for a goalkeeper.

He spent two seasons as number one of Chelsea, but lost his place to Edouard Mendy in the 2020-21 campaign and only started to play football again in 2022-23.

While he had collected 163 performances for Chelsea in seven seasons there, the determining memory of him comes from their fateful 2019 Carabao Cup final in a blues shirt.

Kepa refused to come when Maurizio Sarri wanted to replace him with Willy Cabellero for the penalty shoot-out.

But his insistence to stay on – to the great shame of Sarri – did not pay when Chelsea lost 4-3 to Spot -Kicks 4-3.

He then received a fine of the wage of a week, although Kepa and Sarri insisted that there had been a misunderstanding.

Kepa spent seven seasons in the books of Chelsea after participation of Athletic Bilbao for £ 72 million

After he was a deputy in Madrid before 2023-24, Kepa got a new life in Bournemouth last season and held nine clean sheets in 35 performances.

The Cherries had the Joint-Fifth-best defense record of the Premier League and gave 46 goals.

When securing his first signing, sports director Andrea Berta said: ‘We are very enthusiastic to have Kepa added to our Arsenal family. He is a player with great experience, someone who has already won big trophies, and we can’t wait until he becomes a member of the group and helps to win the club.

‘Kepa knows that it is an exciting time to be in Arsenal and we know that he is a player who entails a winning mentality. We welcome him and his family in the club and look forward to meeting the players and the staff, enthusiastically to see him. ‘

Raya spent last season as a practically unspoken keeper of Arsenal and played in all bar One.

Aaron Ramsdale had left for Southampton, where Neto took the number two place.