Mikel Arteta made major gamble when he bought David Raya as Arsenal No. 1, but the Spaniards now continue to blossom after a difficult start to decide
Jamie Redknap praised Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya as “the maker of the difference” following his role in running Leeds 5-0 on Saturday night.
Gunner continued the perfect start to the Premier League season as it eased past the newly promoted side of the Emirates. That means they keep up with the pace, but they had No. 1 to thank them for ensuring they weren’t upset by the cards.
Raya had to make the game produce big saves goalless as the whites threatened to land the shock early. Pascal Struijk rose to the highest from the corner, but his bullet header was well stopped by the Arsenal goalkeeper before opening the scoring.
It underscores the value of a former Brentford goalkeeper who did not arrive universally two years ago. He traveled across London and soon removed former No. 1 Aaron Ramsdale.
Mikel Arteta endorses Raya as his new first choice, and despite his making some high-profile errors, he gets stuck with him, and Rednap is full of praise for how he transformed into a top shot stopper. He said on Sky Sports: “Raya is a really great goalkeeper. It’s a maker of that difference for them.”
read more: Gary Neville discovers Mikel Arteta’s “weakness” after Arsenal Slash Leeds Unitedread more: Mikel Arteta reveals Ebechi Eze’s tactics used to sign Arsenal before Tottenham
Arsenal’s defense has proven to be the backbone of their recent competitiveness. Arteta had seen Gabriel and William Saliba combine to become arguably the best center half duo on the planet, but things like Julien Timber, Ben White and Miles Lewis Skelly helped form one of Europe’s most solid backlines.
And Raya is confident that the new faces in the dressing room can further promote their title ambitions. He said: “The team has been strengthened and we have signed a high quality player that will be massively successful for this club. I am very pleased with everyone and I think it will be very easy to integrate into this dressing room.”
The Gunners boss has even admitted that he was stuck with his decision to switch goalkeeper throughout Raya’s debut season and that he hoped he had the courage to change the No. 1s midway through the game.
He said: “I have very few regrets, but one of them was what I felt after 60 minutes 85 minutes to change goalkeeper after 60 minutes 85 minutes of two games in this period. I didn’t do that.
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