Arsenal is closing in on a move for Illan Meslier, the former Leeds United goalkeeper who didn’t play a single senior minute last season. According to James McNicholas of The Athletic, the French shot-stopper is expected to join the Gunners’ goalkeeping room.
Meslier, 26, originally joined Leeds on loan from Lorient back in 2019 and eventually became the undisputed starter at Elland Road. He made 215 appearances for the club before last season. His last senior game for Leeds came in March 2025. Then he just… disappeared from the lineup. No loan. No injury that was made public. He just stopped playing.
The reasoning behind that is still murky, but the player’s camp has been looking for a way out for months. Arsenal seems to have given him one.
Where Meslier fits in the current setup
David Raya is the clear No. 1 at Arsenal. That’s not changing. Behind him, Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the backup, but his future is in question. Kepa’s loan from Chelsea technically runs through the summer of 2026, but there are whispers the club might move him along sooner rather than later. Meslier would slot in as a second or third option depending on how things shake out.
This move could also free up Tommy Setford, the young English keeper, to go out on loan and get actual first-team minutes. Setford is talented but he’s 19 and sitting behind Raya and Kepa isn’t doing him any favors. A loan to a Championship side or even a League One team with playoff ambitions would make a lot of sense.
Meslier isn’t walking into a starting job. But for a guy who didn’t play at all last season, just getting back into a Premier League environment — even as a backup — is a step forward. Arsenal gets a veteran keeper with top-flight experience for essentially nothing in terms of transfer fee. Low risk, decent reward.
The club hasn’t confirmed anything yet. But the reporting is solid enough that you’d expect an announcement within the next week or two.
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