"Chelsea gave us a £75m GK for 50p" - Arsenal fans hail Kepa as he makes 3 saves in penalty shootout loss against Milan

Kepa Arrizabalaga saved three penalties on his Arsenal debut
Kepa Arrizabalaga saved three penalties on his Arsenal debut

Arsenal fans have taken to X to hail new goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after his performance in their pre-season friendly against AC Milan. The Spain international made his debut for the club in the second half and performed excellently in the shootout against the Italian side.

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The world's most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga joined the Gunners from Chelsea earlier this summer after his £5 million release clause was triggered. The 30-year-old had spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Bournemouth and was signed to provide competition and cover for David Raya.

Kepa was introduced in place of Raya at half-time and managed to keep a clean sheet in the second half. It was, however, his performance in the shootout that turned the heads of the Arsenal fans, as he saved three spot-kicks from the AC Milan side. The Gunners ended up losing 6-5, but Kepa's display earned him plaudits, as the fans took to X to praise him.

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A fan hailed the Spaniard for his skills at saving penalties, expressing happiness at his presence in their squad.

"Kepa is a tremendous penalty stopper. Happy to have him as our backup for the upcoming season!", they wrote.

Another fan pointed out that the Spaniard should be in goal for shootouts this season.

"Kepa might have to be the keeper for all shootouts this season.", they posted.
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Another fan insinuated that the goalkeeper was a steal for his modest transfer fee.

"Kepa 3 penalty saves…Chelsea gave us a £75m GK for 50p", they wrote.

A fan thanked Chelsea for selling the goalkeeper to them.

"Kepa saves again. Thank you Chelsea.", they posted.

Another fan expressed their joy at the Spaniard's ability to save penalties.

"Kepa not diving an entire generation before the pen's taken", they wrote.
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Kepa saved attempts from Lorenzo Colombo, Mattia Liberali, and Noah Okafor in the shootout. His side ended up on the losing side of the shootout as captain Martin Odegaard, Reiss Nelson, Jakub Kiwior, and 15-year-old Marli Salmon missed their attempts.

Arsenal pick up win over AC Milan in pre-season opener

Arsenal commenced their pre-season with a 1-0 win over AC Milan in their first friendly in Singapore. The Gunners went on to lose a pre-planned penalty shootout after the game by a 6-5 scoreline against the Italian giants.

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Christian Norgaard made his Arsenal debut from the start and lasted just 45 minutes before fellow summer signing Martin Zubimendi replaced him. The Gunners found the net seven minutes into the second half through star forward Bukayo Saka, who finished expertly after he was found by Jakub Kiwior.

The Gunners kept a clean sheet, claiming a 1-0 win in normal time before going into the penalty shootout. Both sides' goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Lorenzo Torriani saved three spot-kicks apiece, before a miss from Arsenal youngster Marli Salmon ended the contest.

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Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen
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