Journalist Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that neither Mikel Arteta or Arsenal sporting director Edu were the driving force behind the deal to sign David Raya.
David Raya has now established himself at Arsenal.
It took some time for the Spanish goalkeeper to make the Arsenal No. 1 spot truly his own. Whilst he has been Mikel Arteta’s first-choice between the sticks since back in September, there was a long debate beyond that point over whether or not Aaron Ramsdale might still be the better option.
In the early months of his Arsenal career, Raya did not always look entirely comfortable. After he endured a difficult outing against Luton Town, plenty of Arsenal fans called on Arteta to reinstate Ramsdale into the starting XI.
However, the Spanish coach stuck by his man and has been duly rewarded since. The 28-year-old has grown into his role, and is now a calming and authoritative presence at the back for the Gunners.
The Brentford loanee finally got his chance to be a real hero against Porto last time out too. As the north London club’s round of 16 Champions League tie with the Portuguese club went to penalties, the spotlight turned upon the goalkeeper. Raya made two saves in the penalty shootout, sending Arsenal to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 14 years.
Who pushed for Arsenal to sign David Raya?
Raya is currently on-loan at Arsenal from Brentford. However, he is very much seen as the Gunners’ long-term ‘keeper. Arsenal are set to make Raya’s switch permanent for a £27 million fee this summer.
Arteta is clearly happy with the Spain international, and Edu will have gone to the negotiation table to get this deal done for Arsenal. However, goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana was the real driving force behind this signing.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, writing in his Daily Briefing, “this summer Arsenal will pay £27m for Raya – they trust him for the present and future. He’s always been on the radar of the club as a talented goalkeeper, and so they did well to take the opportunity to get this deal done last summer. The man who made the difference to sign him – of course apart from Arteta and Edu – is the GK assistant Inaki Pena who knew him very well.”
There is an error in Romano’s reporting, though. The Arsenal goalkeeper coach is Cana, not Inaki Pena.
It is not unusual for a goalkeeper coach to take an active role in such signings, far more than a regular first-team coach would be involved in such matters. Cana will work more closely on a day-to-day basis than anyone else, and naturally has an in-depth understanding of the demands of the position. The coach also knows Raya well, as he previously worked with him when the pair were both employed by Brentford.
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