Arsenal’s goalkeeper situation is gradually taking shape this summer.
Illan Meslier has joined on a two-year deal, with the option of a further year, initially coming in as the club’s third choice option.
20-year-old Tommy Setford is expected to leave on loan to get regular senior football as a result of that.
Obviously, David Raya remains the undisputed number one. However, there is still some uncertainty surrounding Kepa Arrizabalaga’s situation.
Will Kepa Arrizabalaga play another game for Arsenal?
According to The Athletic, the £5million release clause in Kepa’s contract, which would have allowed him to leave if a club matched the fee Arsenal paid Chelsea, has now expired.
Arsenal will not stand in his way if a suitable offer arrives, but that offer will now need to be negotiated directly rather than simply triggered.
Arsenal can now demand more than £5m for Kepa Arrizabalaga
In practical terms, Arsenal now have slightly more leverage when selling Kepa than they had before.
Any club wanting to sign the Spaniard can no longer simply match a fixed fee and walk away with him. Instead, they will need to come to the table and agree a price with Arsenal directly.
Whether Arsenal can extract more than £5million is debatable, though.
Kepa has attracted interest from Serie A, but clubs in Italy are unlikely to pay a premium for a 31-year-old backup goalkeeper.
His wages of around £60,000 a week are also a factor, getting those off the books would be a meaningful saving in itself, even if the transfer fee is modest.
Arsenal may struggle to command a fee over that £5million figure, but the clause expiring at least makes sure they’re not cornered into accepting the first offer that arrives.
Meslier is in the building now, but there are still questions marks over his quality and reliability. Kepa is more experienced and more credible than the Frenchman.
But at least now Arsenal can afford to be patient and wait for the right deal rather than rushing Kepa out of the door at any price.
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