Arsenal supporters have fiercely criticised one player following the Gunners’ 3-1 pre-season defeat to Real Betis, with many insisting he should be offloaded before the summer transfer window shuts.
The Premier League champions suffered their second pre-season defeat on Wednesday evening, as Piero Hincapie’s strike proved to be the only consolation in an otherwise disappointing outing in Spain.
- Watch: Kepa’s dreadful error goes viral in Real Betis clash
- Watch: Liam Delap’s shocking open miss in pre-season session
Several key players featured in the encounter, including Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, and Christo Tzolis, who had caught the eye during his previous appearance.
Although the main objective of the match was to improve players’ match sharpness after the World Cup break, the backlash directed at one individual has fuelled speculation that his future at the Emirates Stadium could already be in doubt.
Mikel Arteta’s recruitment department has been active throughout the transfer window, with Bruno Guimaraes becoming the latest arrival. However, after parting ways with players such as Leandro Trossard earlier in the summer, Arsenal are still expected to trim the squad further before September.
3-1 Real Betis
Did Kepa Arrizabalaga wear David Raya gloves today cause what the fuck is this???😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/xMEbjYxVLc
— CfcNiel (@CfcNiel) August 5, 2026
Wednesday’s game appears to have severely damaged Kepa Arrizabalaga’s hopes of becoming anything more than a backup option for the north London club.
Que fait il encore en Premier League?
Kepa est un gardien de niveau national pic.twitter.com/WuCTSUVqRv— Moul Pikala 🚲🔪 (@MoulPikax) August 5, 2026
During the opening half, he allowed every shot on target to beat him, prompting Arsenal fans to vent their frustration online after a series of costly mistakes. One X user wrote:
“Kepa cost us the Carabao Cup last season, and nothing has changed since then. He doesn’t belong here. Sell him and make Meslier the no. 2.”
Another fan described his display as “so bad”, while a third posted: “Is our recruitment team just playing Russian roulette with our GK depth or something? One [David] Raya injury and we have to pick between Kepa Error-Prone Arrizabalaga or Can’t-Start-For-Leeds Meslier.”
Elsewhere, another supporter commented: “Kepa is the funniest keeper of all time I swear,” while a fifth added: “Sell Kepa now! The transfer window is still open, Raya and Meslier are okay.”
If Kepa’s move from being Bournemouth’s reserve goalkeeper to joining Arsenal raised eyebrows initially, his latest display has only increased the doubts.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper lasted just 62 minutes in Spain before Mikel Arteta decided to replace him, bringing him off to allow Illan Meslier an opportunity between the posts.
Arsenal are not the first Premier League heavyweights to recruit experienced goalkeepers nearing the latter stages of their careers, with similar examples including Scott Carson at Manchester City and Tom Heaton at Manchester United.
Many supporters view the strategy as both puzzling and ineffective, particularly considering David Raya’s impressive performances over the past three seasons.
It is fair to say Kepa squandered a valuable opportunity to strengthen his case for starting in domestic cup competitions next season, although it remains unclear whether Meslier has done enough to move ahead of him.
