David Raya has opened up about his relationship with fellow Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal signed David Raya on loan from Brentford in the recent summer transfer window. The Gunners are expected to take up a £27 million option to make his move to the Emirates Stadium permanent.
In recent weeks, the 28-year-old has usurped Aaron Ramsdale as the first-choice Arenal shot-stopper.
Whilst he has had a couple of nervy moments, notably against Manchester City last time out, Raya has generally been very impressive since taking on the No. 1 role.
However, Ramsdale himself is a top-class ‘keeper and will be determined to get his place back. He did little to deserve being dropped in the first place.
Despite there being an ongoing battle for supremacy between the two Arsenal shot-stoppers, Raya insists that the pair get on well.
Raya shares details of Ramsdale relationship
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Raya was asked about how he gets on with the England man. The twice-capped Spain international said, “the relationship? It’s very good. At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems.”
Upon deciding to sign Raya, Mikel Arteta may have been concerned that the competition between the new arrival and the £120,000-a-week established first-choice ‘keeper could erupt into something rather toxic. Clearly, the Spanish coach had enough faith in the pairs’ professionalism to be able to set these worries aside and proceed with the deal.
In fact, he will have been hoping that the tussle for selection would inspire the best out of both players. That looks to be what is happening. As Raya explained, “we push each other every day in training: when he’s a little bit down, I push him, and when I’m a little bit down [he does the same].”
Raya now faces the challenge of keeping his place in the team ahead of Ramsdale, knowing that if he slips up there is a very capable replacement ready and waiting in the wings.
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