Arsenal have been in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer, as they were aggressively shopping backup Aaron Ramsdale, who unsurprisingly lost his starting job to Brentford signing David Raya last season.
Ramsdale is a quality keeper who plays for the England national team, but Raya is legitimately one of the best at his position in the league, which is an assertion he established in the 2022/23 season as a breakout star for the Bees – then in the running for European qualification.
Now, Ramsdale has joined Southampton, and Arsenal are pushing even more for a new backup goalkeeper, and their initial intent was to sign a young shot-stopper with immense future potential.
Their search landing them on Joan Garcia, who had a save percentage above 82 last season for Spanish club Espanyol, as he played a pivotal role in bringing the historic club back to LaLiga.
So far this season in the top flight, Garcia has a save percentage above 81, and pretty much everyone in the know regards the 23-year-old as someone with the potential to be elite.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Espanyol know Garcia’s quality as well as anyone, and they have been unwilling to sell the young shot-stopper for anything less than his established 30 million euro release clause.
To this point, Arsenal have only gone as high as 20 million euros, and with an impasse between the clubs, the Gunners are already pivoting to an alternative option in goal.
According to a report from The Athletic, Arsenal are now in advanced discussions to sign Bournemouth veteran goalkeeper Neto on loan. Neto, by the way, has extensive experience in Spanish football, too.
Neto is the definition of a veteran backup, as he is 35 years old. But he has shown that he can be a quality starter at the Premier League level if called upon, as the Brazilian keeper saved 74.6 percent of the shots he faced in the 2022/23 season as one of the top-performing goalies in the league.
Last season, Neto’s save percentage dipped under 70, but to this early point in the 2024/25 season, the Bournemouth man is saving nearly 85 percent of the shots at his goal.
While less exciting than Garcia and with no future upside, Neto is dirt cheap as a loan acquisition and is a solid enough goalkeeper who is proven. As a backup to Raya, Neto isn’t a bad choice by any means.
