Arsenal snaps up Spain's Rodríguez from Real Madrid on free deal

Arsenal's summer shopping spree just got another boost. The Gunners have signed Spanish goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez on a free transfer after she wrapped up six years at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old becomes the fifth major addition to Mikel Arteta's squad as they chase down Manchester City.

Rodríguez clearly fancies her chances in North London. "Arsenal is one of the top clubs in the world," she said, which, fair enough—they're not subtle about their ambitions either.

This move caps off a pretty aggressive window for the WSL side. They've already brought in Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich, Selina Cerci from Hoffenheim, Ona Batlle from Barcelona, and Géraldine Reuteler from Eintracht Frankfurt. That's a lot of fresh faces.

Last season Arsenal came up just short, finishing second with four points separating them from Manchester City's crown. A new goalkeeper could be exactly what tips the scales. Rodríguez spent her entire Madrid tenure competing at one of Europe's biggest clubs, so she won't be short on experience when things get tight in the run-in.

The rebuild is clearly in full swing. Whether all these new arrivals gel quickly enough to mount a genuine title challenge remains to be seen, but on paper, Arsenal's summer has been sharp.