Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined Arsenal from Chelsea.
The Gunners were always going to sign a new goalkeeper this summer after Neto was sent back to Bournemouth following his loan spell.
Many fans felt it would be Joan Garcia, but after the Spaniard went to Barcelona, Arsenal completed the signing of Kepa for just £5 million.
The 30-year-old will provide cover for David Raya at Arsenal next season.
Kepa Arrizabalaga reveals his closest friend at Arsenal
Arsenal don’t have a big Spanish contingent in their squad.
Raya and Mikel Merino are the two Spaniards in the side, while the manager, Mikel Arteta, also hails from the same country.
If you had to guess who Kepa Arrizabalaga’s closest friend at Arsenal is, most would pick one of Raya or Merino because all three of them have been in the Spain squad together in the past.
However, Kepa has another good mate at Arsenal — Kai Havertz.
The two players spent time together at Chelsea and shared a very good relationship. In fact, Havertz was presented with his first Arsenal shirt when he was at Kepa’s wedding in 2023.
That close bond remains intact as Kepa, when asked who his closest friends are at Arsenal, told the club’s social channels: “I will say Kai, for sure.
“(We spent a) Couple of seasons together. Nice guy!”
Kepa Arrizabalaga and David Raya idolised the same player growing up
Kepa wanted to be a goalkeeper since he was a kid.
The new Arsenal signing has revealed how he begged his parents to buy him a pair of gloves every time they walked past a sports store, and that is when his love began.
Kepa has now revealed that, while he was growing up, his idol was Spain legend Iker Casillas.
Unsurprisingly, the Real Madrid icon was the goalkeeper that Arsenal’s number one Raya looked up to as well before he made it big (Arsenal.com).
That’s one of the many similarities the two players share.
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