Arsenal summer signing David Raya has now been cleared to play in the Carabao Cup Third Round tie against his parent club Brentford.
The goalkeeper joined on loan with an option to buy in the summer from The Bees, and is yet to appear for Arsenal, with Aaron Ramsdale still the preferred number one option.
Arsenal have been drawn against Brentford in the League Cup, and as per the competition rules, Mikel Arteta’s side will have had to seek permission from Raya’s parent club to allow him to feature.
Given that Raya would be playing against Brentford, it was unclear whether this permission would have been granted, but a report from Football.London has now claimed that Brentford have agreed to let him play in the tie, and subsequently, the rest of the competition if Arsenal make it through.
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Despite being an initial loan deal, all signs point to David Raya staying permanently, and he is set to feature in the cup competitions.
With the Carabao Cup and Champions League kicking off in September, he will finally have a few chances to force his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans, and challenge Ramsdale for the number one spot.
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Raya reportedly turned down Bayern Munich in favour of a move to Arsenal, and it is clear that he will not settle for a number two spot, but what is clear is that Arteta has a plan to keep him at the club for this season and beyond.
Brentford’s willingness to let him play against them in the cup may highlight their stance that he is pretty much a full-fledged Arsenal player, despite technically still being owned by them for the season, and he will hope to impress on his return to his former ground.