A bit surprisingly and definitely suddenly, Kepa Arrizabalaga became Arsenal’s new goalkeeper, moving to Emirates from Chelsea for £5 million. Now, one may think they are experiencing a “deja vu” or living a “groundhog day” seeing another Blues player joining the Gunners. And they wouldn’t be wrong, as this has become a regular phenomenon.During the last ten years, Arsenal brought as many as seven players from Chelsea! Not shocked yet? Hold on to your hat. In six out of the previous seven seasons, the north London side signed at least one player from Stamford Bridge!At this point, these “neighbouring transfers” aren’t an exception – they are a rule. So, are the Gunners making good and smart investments, or are they just collecting Chelsea’s “debris”?Kepa, Sterling, Kai Havertz, Luiz, Jorginho, Willian. Why do we love signing Chelsea players? pic.twitter.com/zkKIDHB8n5— Triple M (@Tripple____M) July 1, 2025 In 2015, the Blues’ legend Petr Cech joined Arsenal after spending 11 years in west London. The custodian did win the 2017 FA Cup and two Community Shields, making 139 appearances in the process, but he was already 33 when he arrived in north London and was nearing the end of his prime. To make matters worse for Arsenal, they splashed out £10 million on the transfer!After a four-year break, the Gunners’ genuine offence on Chelsea’s players started with the arrival of David Luiz. The Brazilian’s best career years had been spent at Stamford Bridge (during the first spell) and with Paris Saint-Germain, so his joining Arsenal was just an attempt to prolong his presence at the elite football stage.Arsenal’s homegrown star remains loyal to North LondonLuiz won the 2019 FA Cup with the club, was shown as many as three direct red cards in 73 matches, and left a rather mediocre impression at Emirates. His further career just proved that his best days had been long gone, as he had to return to his homeland, where he’s currently representing Fortaleza, after leaving North London.Of course, Arsenal once again filled Chelsea’s pockets – this time with £8 million.Willian and David Luiz representing Chelsea in 2018 (©Dan Istitene/Getty Images)A year after Luiz and after seven years at Stamford Bridge, his ex-Chelsea teammate and compatriot Willian joined the Gunners – luckily for free – and shortly became one of the worst reinforcements in the club’s recent history. The winger spent only one season at Emirates, scored just one goal in 37 appearances, and – just like Luiz – returned to Brazil (to Corinthians) following his departure from London.Luiz and Willian’s cases weren’t enough for Arsenal to learn the lesson, as they signed another Chelsea’s Brazilian in January 2023 when the Blues’ “penalty specialist” and former Napoli midfielder Jorginho arrived in a transfer worth £12 million.Italy international born in Brazil had a decent spell with the Gunners, though the impression was that his prime was also long gone. In addition, he failed to win a single trophy in north London, and once Declan Rice joined from West Ham, Jorginho permanently lost his spot in the XI.Taught by the former two Brazilians’ examples, the 33-year-old moved – guess where? – to his homeland’s side, Flamengo, on a free transfer at the beginning of June 2025.Kepa (in the back), Havertz, and Jorginho with Chelsea in 2020 (©Matt Dunham – Pool/Getty Images)Five months later, Jorginho got company from Stamford Bridge, as Arsenal splashed out £65 million and signed the man who brought Chelsea their second UCL trophy against Man City two years earlier – Kai Havertz.Looking at the German’s stats at Emirates – 29 goals and 13 assists in 87 matches – things don’t look that bad. However, considering his injury issues, the numerous chances he wasted, the fact that Mikel Arteta constantly failed to find him a suitable position, as he was mainly unimpressive either as a striker, winger, or attacking midfielder.Last season, he missed more than three months due to knee and hamstring injuries and although he’s still at the club, the Gunners are desperately seeking a couple of offensive reinforcements.##NAJAVA_MECA_9000958##Finally, the latest – and one of the biggest – mistakes Arsenal made was bringing Raheem Sterling from Stamford Bridge. Fortunately, the former England international joined the Gunners on loan which ended two days ago.Football can rarely be analyzed through stats, as numbers do not reveal much, but in Sterling’s case, they depict his time in North London perfectly. In 28 games, he scored a single goal and made five assists, while clocking around 40 minutes per match. Absolutely abysmal!In total, Arsenal increased Chelsea’s budget by £95 million, bringing players who lost their place at Stamford Bridge. And the question from the text – Are the Gunners making good and smart investments or are they just collecting Chelsea’s “debris”? – will remain open, though the answer is quite clear.After Kepa, Arsenal looking at another Chelsea playerNevertheless, the cooperation between the London neighbours might continue pretty soon, as the Gunners are reportedly interested in the Blues’ Noni Madueke, proving that this tradition is apparently very important to them.Everyone has probably heard the popular saying, One man’s loss is another man’s gain. In the case of Chelsea and Arsenal, its truthfulness is questionable, to say the least.
