Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has admitted that one thing David Raya did against Sevilla worried him.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has been in the spotlight in recent weeks.
Arsenal signed the Spanish shot-stopper on loan from Brentford in the recent summer transfer window, and are expected to shell out a further £27 million to make his switch to the Emirates Stadium permanent.
Mikel Arteta is clearly a big fan of the 28-year-old and recently promoted him ahead of fan-favourite Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order.
However, things have not been entirely plain sailing for Raya since he became the Arsenal No. 1. He has made errors, of varying severity, against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Lens. He has drawn criticism and is in need of an impressive showing to establish himself at his new club. However, he was unable to deliver that last night.
Fears around David Raya are growing
Once again, Raya was not entirely convincing between the sticks against Sevilla. A misplaced short pass early on saw the home fans get on his back, and he almost threw Arsenal’s lead away late on when he mistimed a punch which looped back and landed on the roof of his own net.
Discussing this awkward moment, Thierry Henry said on CBS Sports Golazo, “when I saw Raya coming to save that I got a bit scared but we got our luck this time, we got lucky.”
One of Raya’s perceived strengths is his authority when coming to claim crosses. He looked anything but composed on this occasion as he flung a single fist at the ball, and was very fortunate indeed to see it narrowly avoid dropping in under his crossbar.
With Ramsdale waiting in the wings to take his starting berth back, Raya will know that Arteta’s patience with him could wear thin quickly. Perhaps that pressure has contributed to his shaky performances of late. In any case, the £85,000-a-week ace’s form needs to improve quickly if he is to prove that he is a top-level goalkeeper.
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