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Keeper set to sign for €5.9m
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If you asked most Arsenal fans who their biggest rivals are besides Tottenham, Chelsea would probably crop up a lot. There is also some animosity towards Manchester United and Liverpool, but not much love is lost with their west London counterparts. However, that rivalry doesn't seem to have extended to the recruitment department. In recent years, there have been a number of transfers between the two sides from the capital, with the majority of deals being Chelsea players signing for the Gunners. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga looks likely to become the latest on this list.
Arsenal are reportedly set to activate the Spaniard's €5.9m release clause to bring him to the Emirates to become David Raya's understudy. Arrizabalaga was signed by the Blues for a staggering €80m back in 2018, and to this day that remains the most expensive transfer for a goalkeeper in the history of the game. Once the deal to Arsenal is completed, which now seems a formality, it will mean that Arsenal have signed as many as eight notable players from Chelsea in the last 10 years alone. It's fair to say the vast majority haven't been a success at the Emirates.
Chelsea players signed by Arsenal in last 10 years
The most expensive deal ever between the two clubs was Arsenal's 2023 signing of German Kai Havertz. The attacking midfielder/forward was signed for €75m, and has gone on to score 29 goals and provide 13 assists in 87 games for the Gunners. Despite the hefty fee, Havertz has been probably the most successful signing on the list. The next most expensive deal for players to trade Stamford Bridge for the Emirates was the €14m signing of goalkeeper Petr Cech in 2015. The former Czech Republic shot-stopper became a legend at Chelsea, but consistently underperformed in an Arsenal shirt in his later years.
On the other hand, Jorginho's €11.3m move to Arsenal in January 2023 can be deemed a success, with the Italian adding a lot of experience to the Arsenal dressing room, as well as some astute performances in the heart of their midfield. Maverick centre-half David Luiz joined Arsenal from the Blues for €8.7m in the 2019/20 season, but the Brazilian was primarily erratic for the Gunners. He was sent off three times in just 73 games for the north London club. The impeding signing of Arrizabalaga will represent the fifth most expensive deal from Chelsea to Arsenal in the last decade, and given his experience, and the fact he will be the no.2, it would seem rather astute business for just €5.9m.
Willian was signed as a free transfer in 2020, but was still nothing short of a calamity under Mikel Arteta - the Brazilian scored one goal in 37 games before writing off his contract. One player that many supporters may have not perhaps realised went from Chelsea to Arsenal was striker Eddie Nketiah. The Englishman left the Blues' youth ranks in 2015, aged 16, to join the Gunners' Hale End Academy. The last player on the list was last summer's loan signing of Raheem Sterling. Considering there was no outgoing fee and Chelsea were still paying the majority of his wages it seemed a no-risk signing by Arsenal. However, few could have predicted just how poor Sterling would be in an Arsenal shirt, and when he was needed towards the end of the season, due to an injury crisis in forward positions, Sterling failed to step up.
