Arsenal’s New Backup Goalkeeper Was Leeds’ Starter. Now He’s Third-Choice.

Arsenal officially added a familiar face to their goalkeeping room on Thursday, signing former Leeds United starter Illan Meslier on a free transfer. The French goalkeeper joins as the third option behind David Raya and backup Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Meslier’s career arc is a strange one. He arrived at Leeds from Lorient in 2020 (initially on loan, then permanently) and quickly established himself as their No. 1. Over five seasons he racked up 215 appearances for the Whites. But by the end of the 2024/25 campaign he’d lost the starting job entirely, and he didn’t play a single minute in the season that just ended.

So now he’s effectively resetting his career at the Emirates — as a 26-year-old third-choice keeper who used to start every week.

“I’m extremely happy,” Meslier told the club’s media team after signing. “It’s a great day for me because I have just joined the champions. For me, Arsenal is the biggest club in England. I cannot wait to show the love that I’ve got for this badge, and I cannot wait to win trophies with this team, because this is a club that needs to lift trophies again and again.”

What does Meslier bring to Arsenal?

Height and experience, mostly. He’s 6-foot-6, comfortable with the ball at his feet, and he’s made well over 200 senior appearances in English football. That’s a lot more mileage than most third-choice keepers have. The question is whether he can rediscover the form that made him a reliable Premier League starter a few years ago.

Arsenal’s goalkeeper situation is fairly settled at the top. Raya is firmly entrenched as the starter. Arrizabalaga arrived on loan last season and signed permanently this summer, so he’s the clear No. 2. Meslier will slot in behind both of them, likely seeing action only in cup matches or if injuries pile up.

But here’s the thing about third-choice keepers at big clubs: they rarely stay third-choice for long. Either they push for playing time elsewhere, or an injury reshuffles the depth chart. Meslier is young enough — and was good enough not that long ago — that this feels like a low-risk, high-upside move for Arsenal.

The Gunners didn’t need another keeper. They signed one anyway. And the guy they brought in used to be one of the better young goalkeepers in the league. That’s not a bad use of a free transfer.