Arsenal set to sign former Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier on free transfer
Ciaran McCarthy
Arsenal are set to sign former Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer, reports The Athletic.
The Gunners are said to have quickly moved to sign the Frenchman after identifying the opportunity to land a goalkeeper with considerable Premier League experience on a free transfer.
Meslier left Leeds at the end of last season - a campaign in which the 26-year-old did not make a single appearance.
It means that Arsenal now have three first-team goalkeepers with a lot of experience, in David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Meslier.
Whether Spanish stopper Kepa remains through the summer remains to be seen.
The arrival of Meslier is only pending a club medical, but is expected to go through without a hitch.
It is suggested that the arrival of the Frenchman could allow England under-21 international keeper Tommy Setford to leave Arsenal and gain experience out on loan.
The 20-year-old joined from Ajax and is highly rated at Arsenal, but does not have much experience under his belt yet.
The Gunners recognise he needs to be able to go away and develop and therefore signing Meslier will grant him that opportunity.
Meslier's Premier League record
Meslier is a highly-experienced goalkeeper in the Premier League, having made 107 appearances in the competition, keeping 21 clean sheets.
In English football as a whole, the former Leeds keeper has played 215 senior games, all during his time with the Whites.
He fell out of favour after the 2024-25 Championship season, with Lucas Perri being signed to take the gloves.
Meslier never even made a Premier League squad last season with the Whites, highlighting his reduced standing following some poor displays in the campaign prior.
He did play twice in Premier League 2, conceding six goals across those games.
His arrival at Arsenal offers the Premier League club another option, but whether he'll actually get any minutes remains to be seen.
At this stage, it seems the move is simply being made as a tool to help get experience for Setford.
