Arsenal’s goalkeeping department is in the midst of an overhaul.
If all goes to plan, they will complete the signing of three first-team goalkeepers in this transfer window. Beyond that, they are hoping to make multiple additions at academy level.
The goalkeeping position is one usually associated with stability and longevity. At Arsenal, however, barely a window goes by without considerable focus on this area.
That turnover is partly why Arsenal are pressing Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign 30-year-old Dan Bentley. Arsenal go on tour to the United States in just over a week and may be travelling without an experienced goalkeeper on the books.
Last summer, Arsenal moved to sign David Raya from Brentford. Financial fair play (FFP) needs meant Arsenal ended up agreeing an initial £3million ($3.9m) loan, with a £27m permanent clause they exercised this month. Although now firmly established as No 1, the move for Raya initially came as a surprise — especially as Aaron Ramsdale had signed a new contract in May 2023.
“It’s great that we’re continuing to build our future with our biggest talents in our young squad,” said Mikel Arteta at the time of Ramsdale’s announcement. “We’re all looking forward to enjoying many more years of Aaron the player and the person at the football club.”
But the opportunity to sign Raya — a long-term target who Arsenal had first tried to sign in the summer of 2020 — was too good to pass up. Raya is also the protege of goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, who identified and nurtured him during their time together at Brentford.
Many goalkeeper coaches have an influence on their club’s recruitment. Arsenal is no exception, with Cana seeming to be granted significant licence to reshape the department as he sees fit. Since Cana arrived in the winter of 2019, Arsenal have signed Alex Runarrson, Ramsdale, Matt Turner and Raya for a combined total of almost £70m. Emiliano Martinez, Matt Macey, Bernd Leno, Turner and Runarsson have all now left. It is a high turnover of talent.
Inaki Cana is a trusted lieutenant of manager Mikel Arteta’s (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Arsenal are now preparing to start next season with a much-revamped selection of goalkeepers. Raya’s deal has been made permanent, increasing the likelihood of Ramsdale departing this summer.
That’s not a formality, however. Ramsdale is on a good contract and Arsenal expect to recoup a fee in the region of the £30m they paid for him. There are only a select few clubs in Europe who could meet those financial demands and most of them have first-team goalkeepers. The acquisition of Raya was unusual in that, typically, the signing of a goalkeeper requires a vacancy.
For the time being, Arsenal are unwilling to countenance a loan deal or to consider dropping their price. Unless something changes and a significant domino falls in the world of goalkeeper recruitment, that position may have to shift.
If Ramsdale does go, the man identified to replace him is 23-year-old Spaniard Joan Garcia. He played 16 games for Espanyol in Spain’s second tier last season, keeping 10 clean sheets. His good form, which contributed to Espanol’s promotion to La Liga, led to him being rewarded with a call-up to Spain’s Olympic squad.
Both Cana and the club have determined that Garcia is a suitable profile to deputise for Raya. He previously had a buyout clause of €15m (£12.6m, $16.3m), but Espanyol’s promotion meant that rose to €25m. However, Arsenal believe that given Garcia has only just begun to establish himself in the Espanyol team, they should be able to acquire him for considerably below that figure — perhaps even below €15m.
Although the club have done good groundwork on Garcia, they are not expected to progress with a deal until a buyer for Ramsdale comes forward.
Joan Garcia impressed last season for Espanyol (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
The idea is for Raya and Garcia to be supported by Bentley. The Wolves backup, who made five Premier League appearances last season, was part of the Arsenal academy as a youngster. Like previous signings Raya and Runarsson, he has also worked with Cana before — the pair spent several years together at Brentford.
Arsenal have been on the lookout for a homegrown third-choice goalkeeper for some time. It is quite a specific role: playing time can be limited and personality is important. Bentley is regarded as the sort of character who would be able to make a positive contribution to the goalkeeping group.
Bentley is under contract with Wolves for one more year. Arsenal will need to pay a fee to sign him and their opening offer fell well short of Wolves’ demands. With the start of pre-season approaching, Arsenal may bid again in the coming days to try to strike a deal.
Signing Bentley would also open the door for Karl Hein to leave on loan. The Estonia international was persuaded to sign a new contract this summer, but a stipulation of that agreement was that Arsenal would try to source him a good loan with regular first-team football. At 22, that is clearly the required step in his development.
Arsenal are also changing things up with their academy goalkeepers. The likes of Ovie Ejeheri, James Hillson and Arthur Okonkwo were all released this summer. The club are likely to have to supplement their existing academy goalkeepers with signings.
One target is Ajax’s 18-year-old Englishman Tommy Setford. Arsenal have begun talks with Ajax about their intention to sign the England Under-20 international.
They have already recruited 18-year-old Denmark youth international Lucas Nygaard. Even there, there is a loose connection to Cana — Nygaard arrives from FC Nordsjaelland, the Danish club where Cana spent a year as a goalkeeping coach.
It’s evident Arteta trusts Cana implicitly. The renovation of Arsenal’s goalkeeping department continues.
(Top photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
