One incredible stat shows Mikel Arteta was right with controversial £27m decision

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Mikel Arteta caused a stir earlier this season when he dropped Arsenal fan favourite Aaron Ramsdale from the starting XI.

Arsenal made a surprise signing in the summer as David Raya joined from Brentford, on an initial loan with a £27m option to buy which is all but confirmed will be activated.

Ramsdale performed well last season, raising questions about why another goalkeeper was signed, and the England International lost his starting spot earlier this season.

Raya initially struggled but has been outstanding in recent weeks, and it is now becoming clear why Arteta chose to bring him in to usurp Ramsdale when many deemed it unnecessary.

David Raya’s areas of excellence for Arsenal

Raya has been praised in recent weeks for his speed in distribution, which has played a part in several Arsenal goals, and has especially helped release Gabriel Martinelli in fast breaks.

However, this is not the only area in which he has excelled this season, as he also resembles a huge upgrade on Ramsdale when it comes to claiming crosses.

The Spaniard plays in a more aggressive style, coming further off his line to claim aerial balls. Although he has made a few errors, dropping a particularly poor performance against Luton Town, he ranks as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League for his cross-claiming ability.

A stat listed by FBref shows that Raya’s cross-claiming success rate of 15.7% is by far the highest in the division. Jose Sa of Wolves ranks next, with a success rate of 11.7%, with former Gunner Emiliano Martinez in third at 10.9%.

Ramsdale himself ranks fairly low, with a rate of 8.6%, but this comes in just five league games and therefore a smaller sample size. However, with Raya’s numbers significantly better than anyone else in the league, it is clear that this is an aspect of his play that Arteta values highly.

Raya has been harshly treated by Arsenal fans

Despite his strong recent performances, as well as more obvious metrics now showing Raya to be an upgrade on Ramsdale in some areas, there is still a feeling of negativity towards Raya from some sections of the fanbase, who believe that the England International should be starting ahead of him.

At this point, it is inevitable that Ramsdale will leave, with Raya the established number one, and the Spaniard is now justifying his selection, and Arteta’s controversial decision to make him the first-choice.

The next step for Raya will be to build a positive relationship with the fans, like Ramsdale did when he first came in, but the fans also need to accept now that the correct decision has been made despite the somewhat messy situation that was created by his arrival.