Mikel Arteta’s bargain signing told he made mistake joining Arsenal from Chelsea

Mikel Arteta’s bargain signing told he made mistake joining Arsenal from Chelsea Louis Sealey Published November 24, 2025 7:51pm Updated November 24, 2025 7:51pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty)

Lee Dixon ‘cannot believe’ one of Mikel Arteta’s summer signings agreed to join Arsenal and says he is ‘never going to play’.

The Gunners spent around £250m on new players last summer to bolster an Arsenal squad that finished second in the Premier League for the past three seasons.

The heavy investment has certainly had the desired effect with Arteta’s side moving six points clear at the top of the Premier League and enjoying a perfect start to the Champions League.

Martin Zubimendi has made a huge impact since his £60m move from Real Sociedad while fellow summer signing Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.

The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera have all shown signs they will prove to be shrewd additions at the Emirates Stadium.

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But Dixon was left baffled by Kepa Arrizabalaga’s move to Arsenal and says he ‘cannot believe’ the most expensive goalkeeper in history agreed to become David Raya’s deputy.

Chelsea spent a record-breaking £72m on Arrizabalaga in 2018 but he largely underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge and lost his place in the team.

Mikel Arteta signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

The Spain international had loan spells at Real Madrid and Bournemouth before completing a £5m move to Arsenal last summer.

His game-time in north London always looked limited given Raya’s status as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and Arrizabalaga has made just two appearances this season, both coming in the Carabao Cup.

Asked whether the 31-year-old shot-stopper made a mistake joining Arsenal, Gunners legend Dixon told Metro on behalf of OLBG: ‘Yeah, I couldn’t believe he came.

Arsenal legend Lee Dixon (Picture: Getty)

‘You would need to ask him what his reasons were because I don’t know. I don’t know why you would, at his stage of his career, make that decision.

‘He’s never going to play. He’s only going to play if David Raya gets injured. So why would you want to do that?

‘I guess all players are different and he might have a different mindset. There might be something going on personally that he needs to be settled in the area, I don’t know.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLlFlsItpbY/?hl=en

‘But from a football point of view, it didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.’

At the time of his move from Chelsea, Arrizabalaga was hailed as the ‘best value signing of the summer’ by Arsenal legend Charlie Nicholas.

Shaun Wright-Phillips, meanwhile, questioned Chelsea’s decision to sell Arrizabalaga given Enzo Maresca’s goalkeeping issues at Stamford Bridge.

Robert Sanchez remains Maresca’s No. 1 at Chelsea despite making several errors and attracting criticism from a number of pundits over the past 12 months.

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Discussing his move to Arsenal, Arrizabalaga said: “I’m really, really happy to be here, really excited and looking forward to what is coming.

‘The ambition that is shown in this club, when I talk with Mikel [Arteta] and Inaki [Cana], how much they show me their desire to win… I think we are so close to winning and, hopefully, altogether, we can achieve it.’

Speaking last month, Arrizabalaga also revealed he spoke to Arsenal star and ex-Chelsea forward Kai Havertz ahead of his move across London.

David Raya after Arsenal’s north London derby win (Picture: Getty)

‘In the first month or so you have to settle into the surroundings, off the pitch as well if you have family, but I’m used to this,’ he said.

‘Also we have had a few new players this summer, so we can all share our thoughts on some of the new situations for us.

‘There are some Spanish players that I know from the national team, and that’s really good, especially in the first week.

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‘I knew Kai as well; he’s been a big supporter for me. We chatted a lot during the summer.

‘He was on holiday with [Arsenal captain] Martin Odegaard so we had that time to chat and share our thoughts about things.’

Following an emphatic north London derby win over Spurs, Arsenal’s attentions now turn to the Champions League and a huge clash with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

Arsenal and Bayern are two of only three teams with a perfect record in Europe after four group games.

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