Arsenal have got the better of Bayern Munich a few times recently.
The Gunners beat the German giants in the Champions League early in the season in what was a statement victory for the North London side.
In 2023, Arsenal signed Declan Rice ahead of Bayern Munich, who were also very keen to land the England international midfielder.
Now, another Arsenal player has confirmed that he turned down the Bavarians – David Raya.
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David Raya says he rejected Bayern Munich for Arsenal
Arsenal signed Raya from Brentford in the summer of 2023, initially on loan.
The move raised a lot of eyebrows at the time, as Aaron Ramsdale had established himself as the club’s number one.
Mikel Arteta then dropped the Englishman for Raya, a decision which seemed strange at the time and led to an enormous amount of criticism.
That, however, has proved to be the right decision, and Raya has now revealed the reason behind his decision to choose Arsenal even though he was close to signing for Bayern Munich.
He told Sky Sports: “Obviously, the coach, the philosophy when they came for me, the project that was there and the way the club was rising. I just wanted to make a big step in my career, coming from Brentford, and I think Arsenal was the best team to do it.
“Obviously, it was such a young squad as well, and I think it was the best choice I’ve made to come to this club.
“I was very close to going to another club, but obviously everything happened with Arsenal because it was right in between and everything. I was very, very close to going to another club, but luckily it didn’t happen, and Arsenal in the end made the bid, and I came here.”
When asked which club he was talking about, Raya replied: “It was Bayern Munich.”
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David Raya was also close to joining Tottenham
Before Arsenal came into the picture in 2023, Tottenham Hotspur were very keen on signing Raya from Brentford.
Talks were ongoing with two clubs, and the move even seemed like it would happen at one point. Fabrizio Romano revealed on X that Raya had agreed personal terms to join Spurs.
However, the deal collapsed, and Arsenal signed the Spanish goalkeeper on loan in the end, before making the move permanent for £27 million in the following summer.
Tottenham fans laughed at Arsenal signing Raya and claimed that their goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, was way better.
That has not aged well.
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