David Raya earned a lot of praise from both Declan Rice and Thierry Henry following Arsenal’s Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners are still going strong on all four fronts, progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over two legs against Bayer Leverkusen.
Eberechi Eze was superb against Leverkusen to steal the headlines, as was Rice, who scored his first Champions League goal of the season.
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While the pair were responsible for the match-winning goals, at the other end of the pitch, Raya was responsible for keeping his 21st clean sheet of the season.
Late in the game, the Spaniard produced a picture-perfect save to add to his incredible collection this term, seeing him earn high praise post-match.
Declan Rice explains how good David Raya is in Arsenal training
Thierry Henry thinks Raya could win Player of the Season, as the Arsenal legend was left spellbound by the save the 30-year-old pulled off against Leverkusen.
When CBS Sports interviewed Rice post-match, Henry continued to praise Raya, asking the Arsenal midfielder to comment on his goalkeeper’s form.
“He deserves every bit of credit that he’s getting,” Rice began before giving an insight into what Raya is like at Colney.
“I wish people could come in and see every day how he trains, because the intensity that he trains and the level that he trains at, there’s literally no reason why he’s not doing what he’s doing on the pitch, it’s incredible.”
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Raya might have fans and pundits in awe, but the Arsenal squad aren’t overly surprised at the level he’s performing at, given his efforts in training.
It’s not only Raya’s commitment to improving behind the scenes that is making a difference, as Rice described how much of a leader the 2023 signing has become.
“To see him every day, the effort and how he is with the lads, he’s turned into a real leader for us, and when you’ve got a ‘keeper like that, he gives everyone confidence.”
There was a lot of confusion when Mikel Arteta signed Raya amid Aaron Ramsdale’s run as the Gunners’ number one, but the manager’s thought process makes so much sense now.
For a fee of just £27m, Arsenal secured their best goalkeeper of the Emirates era, a shot-stopper who gives his teammates confidence every time he stands between the sticks.
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