David Raya has confirmed that he wants his long-term future to be at Arsenal.
Arsenal signed David Raya from Brentford on a season-long loan deal in the recent summer transfer window.
The Gunners are expected to convert the goalkeeper’s switch to the Emirates Stadium into a permanent one for a fee of £27 million.
Given that Raya has recently usurped Aaron Ramsdale as the Arsenal No. 1, the 28-year-old clearly features heavily in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
The Spanish shot-stopper has now stated his commitment to the north London club.
In an interview with The Athletic, Raya was asked if he is keen to make his stay at Arsenal permanent. He said, “yes, I would have done it yesterday (if I could).”
He went on to reveal that he had previously been keen to leave Brentford, and that the prospect of joining the Gunners has been mooted for some time. Raya said, “in the summer, both personally and as a club, we wanted to leave Brentford. I had one year left on my contract and the club and I wanted to take the step. Then I had the opportunity to sign for Arsenal.”
Unsurprisingly, Arteta played a key role in convincing Raya to make the move to north London. The twice-capped Spain international explained, “I had a few conversations with Mikel before making the signing…He was one of the coaches I wanted to work with, his philosophy, how he has transformed Arsenal with the way he has played and it was very important to have him as a coach.”
Raya is Arteta’s man
Not all Arsenal fans were convinced that signing Raya was a good idea. Ramsdale is a popular figure at the club and a favourite amongst the supporters, on top of being an excellent goalkeeper in his own right. In his time as first-choice, he did little to deserve losing his place.
However, Raya’s style of play is a more natural tactical fit for how Arteta wants his team to play. His range of passing is impressive, and his ability to confidently claim crosses into his box eases the pressure on the Arsenal rearguard.
He has generally been very impressive since coming into the team, aside from a couple of questionable moments against Lens and Manchester City. In any case, Arteta clearly has faith in the loanee.
Ramsdale won’t have given up on getting his place back, but Raya has made it clear that he is here to stay.
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