Arsenal are on the verge of selling backup goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton, as Ramsdale is more than qualified to start in the Premier League but recently lost his gig in North London to an even better keeper in David Raya.
A backup for the Spanish national team, Raya joined Arsenal last summer after an exceptional 2022/23 season with Brentford, in which he broke out as one of the best keepers in the league.
Raya maintained that status in 2023/24, taking the reigns from Ramsdale and establishing himself as a great goalkeeper for Arsenal, and he has continued those performances to begin the 2024/25 season, too.
Arsenal are in the market for a Ramsdale replacement as Raya’s backup, and they may have found an arguable upgrade from Raya’s country of Spain in Espanyol star Joan Garcia.
According to a report from Relevo, Arsenal goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana views Garcia as an elite goalkeeper and is the one who recommended that the Premier League giants pursue the keeper, who helped Espanyol return to LaLiga for the 2024/25 season.
Espanyol know that Garcia is special, though, so if Arsenal would like to sign the 23-year-old shot-stopper, then they are going to have to pay the full 30 million euro release clause.
Last season, Garcia saved 82.5 percent of his shots in the 2. LaLiga, and he is off to a similar start in the top flight with a save percentage over 81 after the first three fixtures.
