Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have a £30m ‘super athlete’ in their ranks who gives them a big advantage

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has explained what David Raya brings to the squad that he thinks is a “big advantage” for the Gunners.

David Raya has been a solid acquisition for Arsenal since his £27million move from Brentford in 2024, a year after his £3million loan switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Last Sunday, Raya played a big part in securing a 1-0 win at Manchester United, pulling off some great saves against the likes of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Raya is expected to start against Leeds United on Saturday and, speaking at his pre-match presser, Mikel Arteta sang the Spaniard’s praises.

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Mikel Arteta says David Raya is a ‘super athlete’

Arteta was asked what he made of Raya’s stature, considering the impressive heights he can reach when dealing with high balls.

For context, there was a moment against Man United where the ball came into the Arsenal box and Raya managed to punch it out through several bodies.

“David is very big here, and he’s very brave,” Arteta replied, as per football.london.

“You cannot be the tallest, but you have the will and the courage to go for these kinds of balls. That’s a massive attribute.

“And then he’s a super athlete. He’s someone really athletic, really powerful, really dynamic, really agile.

“And that’s a big advantage, because he can time things really well.

“And on that action especially, when there are so many bodies in the box, to come out and do that, it shows his courage and personality, and his capacity to deal with these kinds of situations.”

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What Alan Shearer, Sam Allardyce and Nicklas Bendtner made of David Raya’s display

Raya won plenty of plaudits for his display at Man United, with Alan Shearer, Sam Allardyce and Nicklas Bendtner all singing his praises.

Shearer described Raya as an “outstanding” goalkeeper and deemed his first-half save “fantastic” and “brilliant”.

Meanwhile, Allardyce said Raya won Arsenal the game, noting that he made some really good saves.

Finally, Bendtner said Raya was one of just four players who impressed at Man United.

“It comes down to Raya, the two centre-halves had a great match, Odegaard had lots and lots of energy,”

“They are the four I would highlight.”