Arsenal’s decision to sign David Raya has been questioned previously, but Spanish International is locked into a new milestone after establishing its position as Gunners No 1
Mikel Arteta says he received a “hammer” to sign David Raya, but now the Spanish Keeper is becoming an Arsenal legend. Gunners Keeper Raya was an unpopular choice when he was brought in from Brentford and took over fan favourite Aaron Ramsdale two years ago as Arsenal No. 1.
It caused great debate and dropout at the time, but incredibly, Raya is on the brink of special history as she is set to make her 100th appearance at Arsenal at all competitions with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Raya already has 41 clean sheets in these looks, winning two Premier League titles, while gaining a reputation for several epic saves (though he shared the second one with Forest Keeper Matz Sels).
According to Arteta, that ratio alone would put him as the best in the club’s history.
When asked if Raya’s clean sheet records were pretty good, Gunners boss Arteta said:
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“And I was hammered when I brought him in. So that’s a point of view too. It’s very good to understand the game, especially when months or years have passed.
“I wasn’t the only one who brought him in. We all did that. And obviously with everyone’s help, he has had a huge impact on the team. Congratulations.
Arteta also claimed that the decision to replace Ramsdale, a fan-loved, huge character and part of Arsenal’s revival, was even less popular as he was in English, homemade and therefore naturally prefers his own.
Arteta said: “It’s not about that. That’s not the case. If he was a Serbian player, we would certainly have a different conversation. But he was a very loved person. He was a very special character. English, international.
“We knew Aaron had the courage to deal with that situation because it’s difficult to deal with. When you come to a big club, it’s not easy. It was a big step for him. But we believed that he was the right keeper to give us something else.
Arteta also provided very positive news on the contract negotiations between Bukayo Saka and William Saliba. Both players have shown anxiousness to stay, and Arteta says Arsenal sports director Andrea Berta is on the way to secure a new deal for both. Saka is unlikely to face the forest, but Saliba is back in training.
Arteta added:
“The good thing is that players want to stay here and they want to be a big part of the club’s history in the coming years, and that’s always positive.
Meanwhile, Arteta also failed to resist the excavation of detractors who claimed to be negative in Liverpool, using Mikel Merino in the midfield to score four goals overall while the Spaniard was on international duty.
Arteta added: “Yeah, after Liverpool, we heard comments saying we were playing with three defensive midfielders. I think it’s a story, no, I don’t know that when Mikel plays hat-tricks as an offensive midfielder, he’s the last offensive midfielder to score three goals.”
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