Mikel Arteta received a lot of criticism for his decision to drop Aaron Ramsdale for summer arrival David Raya, but Arsenal are now reaping the rewards.
Ramsdale is a popular figure at the club and performed well last season, but he was replaced by Raya, and with the Spaniard initially struggling, both he and Arteta attracted heavy criticism.
However, Raya has been outstanding in recent weeks, with the speed of his distribution particularly impressive, and this has opened up a new way for Arsenal to launch counterattacks through the likes of Gabriel Martinelli.
After months of being slammed, Arteta has claimed that he is delighted with the way Raya has settled down, and also pointed out that a lot of what he brings is unseen brilliance.
Mikel Arteta praises David Raya
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Burnley, Arteta expressed his happiness with the 28-year-old.
“What I like about David, as well is what he does in goal. The things that he prevents us from, you don’t even see because they don’t happen, because he has anticipated them,” he highlighted.
“But yeah, obviously he had the environment that was very challenging. But that’s what I love about him. The players with the courage and the character and personality.
“When even it is like this, they want to be themselves and they push themselves to do that. He has earned the right to be very respected and I’m really happy that he’s winning.
Arteta was then asked to elaborate on Raya’s unseen excellence and his distribution, but he was coy in his response.
“Have a look at the game again. I’m not going to tell you,” he replied about Raya’s impact.
“There are opportunities in the match when you can play fast and the door is open, that you can maximise those situations like every team does,” he stated of his distribution.
David Raya has now settled at Arsenal
There was a difficult adjustment period for Raya after his arrival, but that was not necessarily his fault.
Coming into the team somewhat unexpectedly, with the additional pressure of replacing a popular figure in Ramsdale, was never going to be easy.
He also had to adapt to Arsenal’s style of play, which is vastly different from Brentford’s, but he has now settled well, and the defensive unit looks stronger than ever, with Arsenal conceding just two efforts on goal in the last two games.
Many questioned why Raya was signed, but it is clear that Arteta values his speed in build-up and launching fast breaks, and he also leads the Premier League in cross-claiming, emphasising his quiet, but effectively aggressive style of goalkeeping.
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