£27m Arsenal player is losing unique World Cup battle

Add as preferred source on Google

The 2026 World Cup is fast approaching, but several Arsenal players might be more nervous than excited.

Mikel Arteta’s only focus will be on delivering silverware at Arsenal, but following the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign, players will be hungry for even more.

Several Gunners could be in line to seriously challenge to win the World Cup, but others have a challenge aside from trying to win the greatest prize of them all.

In the England camp, Myles Lewis-Skelly’s lack of game time is proving to be a problem ahead of the tournament and in the Spain camp, David Raya is facing a unique battle.

• READ MORE: David Raya says ‘special’ Arsenal star has a better first touch than Lamine Yamal

David Raya is running out of time to become Spain’s number one for the World Cup

Raya is one of three Arsenal players on international duty in October with the Spanish national team.

While Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino continue to earn praise from Luis de la Fuente, the Arsenal goalkeeper has been forced to take the back seat.

Though Raya is having another tremendous season at Arsenal, none of his efforts have been enough to dislodge Unai Simon’s spot as Spain’s number one.

The problem that Raya faces is incredibly unique, as his national team is simply not being tested enough at the back to have Simon’s role put under the spotlight.

Since losing the Nations League final to Portugal, Spain haven’t conceded a single goal.

While Simon deserves credit for keeping three consecutive clean sheets, it’s not necessarily a crown for the goalkeeper to sport, as Spain have only conceded 15 shots in their previous three games.

As a result of Spain being so defensively astute, De La Fuente has been given no reason to reconsider Simon’s claim to the throne, prolonging Raya’s fight to become first-choice.

Time is running out for Raya, who is fighting a losing battle in a privileged, yet tedious situation.

How Raya and Unai Simon have started the season

Interestingly, Raya and Simon faced each other when Arsenal battled Athletic Club in the Champions League.

The Gunners came out on top, but Simon showed his worth; however, the goalkeeper hasn’t been able to keep up with Raya when it comes to league form.

Comparing Simon’s start to the 2025/26 La Liga season and Raya’s in the Premier League, it’s clear to see which keeper is outperforming the other. 

Yes, a lot of Raya’s form has to do with how good Arsenal are at the back, but his contribution cannot be overlooked in a league as competitive as the English top-flight.

Is Raya’s battle at international level fair, or does De La Fuente need to rotate?