ARSENAL supporters are convinced that Kepa Arrizabalaga has played his final match for the club after being benched during the game against Fleetwood.

Mikel Arteta decided to start new signing Illan Meslier in the League Cup fourth-round clash against the League Two side, which led to unfortunate results.

Meslier, who joined Arsenal in the summer after his contract with Leeds expired, made his debut for the Gunners as he was preferred over Arrizabalaga.

The Spanish goalkeeper served as David Raya’s backup last season, making 12 appearances in all competitions, including six in the League Cup, where Arsenal reached the final but lost to Manchester City.

However, his two-goal concession against Ipswich in this year’s third round likely influenced the decision to keep him on the bench this time.

Fans on social media suspect that the 32-year-old may be out of favor for the foreseeable future.

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One fan remarked: “At least we’re in a post-Kepa world now.”

A second fan commented: “Thank goodness Kepa isn’t here.”

A third stated: “It’s interesting to see Meslier starting over Kepa, especially since Kepa was benched for the Everton match. Meslier had a strong showing in pre-season.”

Another fan mentioned: “So Kepa is just sitting on the bench for every game? He’s Arsenal’s number two. Number two to Raya in the league and now number two to Meslier in the cup.”

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Arrizabalaga previously won the only penalty shootout he participated in for Arsenal.

This happened during last season’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace, where he saved the crucial kick from Maxence Lacroix, leading to an 8-7 shootout victory.

Meslier did not have a standout moment against Fleetwood‘s opening goal, as he allowed the ball to roll into the net after 21 minutes.

Nevertheless, Arsenal managed to equalize before Max Dowman’s poor reaction to a challenge resulted in a red card during the dying moments, leading to a penalty shootout.

Unfortunately, Meslier couldn’t prevent his side from suffering the biggest upset in League Cup history, as Fleetwood – a team 84 places below the Gunners – triumphed 5-3 on penalties.

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