By Alright, so lemme tell you about my mission to snag that new Arsenal goalie kit. You know, the bright yellow one Raya’s been rocking? Looks sharp. My kid saw it during the match last weekend and wouldn’t shut up about it. So, dad duty called – gotta find the damn thing.
The Online Hunt Begins (And the First Hiccup)
Hopped online first thing Monday morning. Figured easy peasy, right? Wrong. Checked the usual official spots – outta stock faster than you can say “clean sheet”. Typical. Saw some fancy £2999 “player version” nonsense. Who pays that? Not me. Definitely not for a kid who’ll outgrow it in 5 minutes.
Next stop was my go-to local sports mega store. Walked in, headed straight for the football section. Found a whole rack of outfield kits. Pink away, home shirt… but where are the keeper jerseys? Blank stares from the staff. “Sorry mate, might get some next month?” Helpful. Really helpful. Left empty-handed, feeling proper annoyed.
Diving Down the Online Rabbit Hole
Back to the laptop, grumbling. Searched “Arsenal goalkeeper kit yellow”. Boom. Tons of options. Prices all over the shop, too. Found one for like ¥108 from this store called “Crazy Fans Shop” or something. Reviews were alright – “breathable fabric”, “good quality”, that sorta thing. Almost clicked buy. But then… ¥58?! Saw this listing from a place in Guangxi. “Custom Arsenal Purple Keeper Kit”. Purple? That ain’t right. And ¥58 sounds too good to be true. Probably feels like sandpaper. Scrolled past fast.
Kept digging. Found a “Yun Jian Sports” place listing it. Then another, “Yangzi Sports”. Details? Barely any. Just colours and sizes listed over and over. Sketchy. Couldn’t tell who actually had the yellow kit in stock. Felt like playing whack-a-mole with listings. Frustration levels rising.
Striking Gold (Eventually!)
After wasting way too much time comparing prices on different platforms, I had a minor breakthrough. Found this factory shop listing the actual yellow kit. Looked promising:
- Price: Around ¥33 to ¥35 per kit. Bargain basement!
- Sizes: Whole range from S to bloody 4XL (for my big mate Dave).
- Material: Said “Bamboo Fiber Polyester” – sounded light for summer.
- Printing Option: Could get “RAYA #22” printed! Kid wanted that badly.
Details:
Took a deep breath and gambled. Ordered two – one for the kid (size S), one for me (XL… lockdown pounds, ugh). Paid extra for faster shipping. Crossed my fingers.
The Wait & The Win
Tracked the damn package obsessively. Every courier notification had me jumping. Finally arrived Thursday. Packaging looked like it had fought a bear, but inside… perfect!
- Look: Spot on. Bright Arsenal yellow, proper Adidas logos (no dodgy misspellings!).
- Material is surprisingly decent for the price. Not paper-thin. Really smooth and feels breathable.
- The “RAYA #22” print was clean, no smudges. Kid practically ripped it out my hands.
- Sizing Note: Runs a tad small. My XL fits like a slightly snug L. Good job I didn’t get L! Kid’s S is fine though.
Feel:
Threw them both in the wash straight away (cold, gentle cycle!). Came out fine, no colour run, print intact. Kid wore his to school Friday morning. Job done.
So Where Did I Actually Score?
Learned some things the hard way this week:
- Official Stores: Forget it unless you’re camping at release or fancy remortgaging for that £3k player version.
- Big Retail Chains: Hit or massive miss. Often miss for keeper kits.
- Marketplace Deep Dives: That’s where the action is. Focused on shops actually listing the YELLOW keeper kit specifically.
- The Winner (For Me): Found a factory outlet seller on a major online platform. No-name place, but the kit itself? Legit good for the cash. Look for “2526 Arsenal Yellow Keeper Kit” listings with sizing charts.
Moral of the story? Persistence pays off, cheap deals do exist, and always – ALWAYS – check that size guide before clicking buy!