Arsenal’s pursuit of David Raya from Brentford comes as a surprise to some, given that Aaron Ramsdale is considered one of the best goalkeepers in England and has recently signed a new contract with the club.
The reason Raya is being made available for transfer is that he is approaching the final 12 months of his contract with Brentford, and the club wants to avoid losing him on a free transfer next season.
Signing Raya could be a sensible move for Arsenal as it provides them with two top-quality goalkeepers in their squad, which will be crucial for a demanding campaign in both domestic competitions and the Champions League.
However, with two excellent goalkeepers vying for the number one spot, it creates competition for the starting position. Alan Hutton, a former Aston Villa player, believes that Raya will likely be the preferred choice and this could present a challenge for Ramsdale to reestablish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at Arsenal. The competition between the two keepers could intensify as the season progresses, and it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.
Hutton tells Football Insider:
“If you are Ramsdale at this moment in time having just signed a new deal and the club bring in a new goalkeeper who is going to be number one, how does he feel? Terrible, I imagine.
“The only thing I can think of that Raya is good with his feet, his distribution is good. This is a team that is arguably going to try and win the Premier League so you need a strong squad so that could be the reason.“
Just Arsenal Opinion
Raya was one of the best goalkeepers in England last season, so he certainly will not be afraid to challenge Ramsdale for the number-one spot.
This type of competition brings out the best in both players, but there will only be one winner and it might not be Ramsdale.
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Would David Raya joins Arsenal this summer if ;Matt Turner is still at Arsenal as the backup to Ramsdale the Arsenal’s no 1 goalkeeper? Well! I wouldn’t know for a certainty if Arteta will welcome that to happen. More especially as Arsenal are currently looking to be in the offloading mode.
Ramsdale has had a good last season but the stats suggest that Raya is currently a better keeper. If Arteta wants him & Raya agrees to the move to Arsenal it won’t be as a back up to Ramsdale.
They are two good goalies in my opinion, its a delicate balance going for Raya now.
Raya is not a massive upgrade to Ramsdale, if fact the difference in quality is minimal, born out of the fact the Spaniard could be considered now as been in a rich vein of form..
If Raya joins Arsenal now their will be only one winner and it’s the Spaniard, the gaffer must be careful, he cannot makes it appears like a spoil kid that wants every new toys comes out on the market.
Statistically, it’s apparently not minimal – ramsdale is average (not bad) in the EPL everywhere except distribution, whereas raya is one of the top keepers in most aspects, including distribution (according to tifo)
Perhaps Ramsdale should improve himself then, technique, distribution, passing.
Ramsdale really fell off at the end of the season; sloppy passes and distribution, and continues being beaten low at the corners.
Another question also is Inaki the best GK coach we can get? Is he the best goal coach to help them improve?
The coach know what to do with the two goal keepers Ramsdale for cups competitions and Raya for premier League