How nine ex-Chelsea stars have fared at Arsenal as Gunners edge close to another deal

Arsenal have made a habit out of signing players from their rivals Chelsea in recent years – and they are close to repeating the trick. The Gunners are in the market for a back-up goalkeeper in the summer transfer window and Chelsea have what they need.

This time it is Kepa Arrizabalaga who appears set to make the switch between the London rivals, with a £5million transfer lined up. Kepa spent last season on loan with Bournemouth and, after Neto returned to the Cherries following a campaign with Arsenal, they are now eyeing the Spaniard.

He moved to Stamford Bridge in a £72m deal seven seasons ago from Athletic Bilbao, but is now available for a cut-price fee. Should the deal go through, Kepa will provide competition to his compatriot David Raya in north London.

It remains to be seen how the move will go down – but Kepa is following in a long line of Chelsea players to move to Arsenal. Here Mirror Football takes a look at how his predecessors have fared.

The ultimate in controversial moves between London clubs. Gallas swapped Chelsea for Arsenal in 2006 after winning back-to-back Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho. Things went sour – and after reportedly threatening to score an own goal if selected – he left for Arsenal.

Never one to hide from the spotlight, Gallas was often the main character during his time at Arsenal, where he made 142 appearances and scored 17 goals. Best remembered for his infamous strop against Birmingham in February 2008, when he sat down on the pitch.

Hardly a memorable move. Diarra struggled at Chelsea and then struggled at Arsenal. The French midfielder made just seven league appearances in 2007/08 before being flogged to Portsmouth five months later.

A fantastic move for Arsenal. Cech won 15 trophies in 11 years at Chelsea, yet his status as a blue didn’t undermine his work as a Gunner. He won the Golden Glove during his first season at Arsenal after keeping 16 Premier League clean sheets in 2015/16, stayed for four years and won the FA Cup with the Gunners.

The Israel international, who also played for West Ham and Liverpool, moved on loan from Chelsea to Arsenal for the 2011/12 season. He got six goals and three assists in 25 appearances across all competitions as Arsenal finished third.

Here’s one that didn’t work out. Willian enjoyed a very productive time at Chelsea, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League in seven years with the club. But when they wouldn’t give him a new three-year deal, he opted to join Arsenal on a free transfer.

The Gunners handed out a three-year deal and were made to regret it. He finished the 2020/21 season with just one goal in 37 appearances across all competitions and that was that.

A very divisive player. The Brazilian centre-back, who was known for his passing ability and penchant for shooting from distance, swapped Chelsea for Arsenal in 2019, like Cech. He lasted two seasons in north London after signing for £8m.

While there were the typical moments of madness, including three red cards and conceding six penalties in his 53 Premier League appearances for the club, there were some good times too. Luiz helped Arsenal win the FA Cup and was a well-liked member of the dressing room before leaving for Flamengo in 2021.

Mikel Arteta was very keen to land Jorginho in 2023, with the Italy international’s experience and leadership rated highly by the Arsenal boss. He got his man and Jorginho stayed for two seasons, becoming a key player in midfield alongside Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey.

The 33-year-old has now left for Flamengo, but his influence is greater than many players who only played two seasons at the club.

The £65m Arsenal paid Chelsea to sign Havertz in June 2023 was widely ridiculed at the time, with fans confused why Arteta would sanction such a spend on a utility forward who, while a good player, wasn’t a world-class one.

He’s shown why in the following two years, becoming a real fan-favourite with his own chant that references the transfer fee. Havertz has 29 goals and 13 assists in 87 matches for Arsenal – not far off the tally of 32 goals, 16 assists that he managed in 139 games for Chelsea – and his importance to the side was obvious when he was injured at the back end of the 2024/25 season.

Arteta was behind this deal, too, having worked with Sterling during his time as a coach at Manchester City. Sterling joined Arsenal on loan for the 2024/25 season but never found his feet, with one goal and five assists in 28 appearances all that the Gunners got from the move.

Sterling was scarcely used by Arteta, who frequently left him on the bench, leaving fans to wonder why the loan was sanctioned in the first place.

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