Raya’s composure in key moments is why Arteta took the keeper gamble
The £30m transfer Arsenal fans didn’t really want proves his value on the biggest stage of all against Porto
When Arsenal signed David Raya last summer it felt like a classic case of attempting to fix something that wasn’t broken. Aaron Ramsdale played every minute of the previous Premier League season, keeping 14 clean sheets and earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year He was David Seaman’s rightful heir, possibly for country as well.
When attention turned to who Arsenal might buy in the summer transfer window to edge them closer to Manchester City, nobody contemplated a replacement for Ramsdale. His starting place seemed totally secure, until it no longer was. Mikel Arteta‘s claim that Arsenal wouldn’t have a designated first-choice keeper and his unorthodox suggestion that one could be substituted on for the other during a game have – somewhat predictably – proven to be nonsense. A clear hierarchy has been established from day one. Since Raya joined from Brentford on 15 August, Arsenal have played 38 games in all competitions: he has started 29 of them. Ramsdale has only started two Premier League matches since 3 September, both of which were against Raya’s parent club Brentford, and just once in the Champions League, a groupstage dead rubber in Eindhoven. At various points, Arteta’s gamble looked a superfluous one, that there was a negligible benefit from replacing Ramsdale. With Arsenal tiptoeing the profit and sustainability rules tightrope, would the £30m fee for Raya (£3m up front plus a £27m transfer fee) not have been better spent elsewhere? Put towards a new striker, perhaps? Suddenly, in the space of just four days, Arteta’s decision has been vindicated. Ramsdale’s reputation took a hit after a mistake against Brentford last Saturday when he allowed Yoane Wissa to charge down his clearance to score. (Although it should be said he made two excellent stops after that to help Arsenal to a 2-1 win). Conversely, Raya’s reputation has been enhanced after his saves from Wendell and Galeno
in Tuesday’s penalty shootout triumph over Porto, a result that sent Arsenal into the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. He made important saves to deny Evanilson and Francisco Conceicao in regulation time too.
There is little to separate Raya and Ramsdale from a technical standpoint, but in terms of temperament, Raya seems to have the edge. Ramsdale’s honest admission that he can’t concentrate on a football game for a full 90 minutes to a bemused-looking Ian Wright in November was a self-inflicted punishment. Raya’s post-match comments on Tuesday made for an interesting comparison.
“You get drained after games being a goalkeeper, maybe not leg wise but mentally,” he told Thierry Henry on CBS. “You have to be so focused from the first minute until the last minute and cannot switch off for one second.”
Perhaps Raya just articulated the point better, but Arteta highlighted Raya’s calmness after his penalty-saving heroics.
Arteta said he was “convinced” about Raya’s ability to cope with high-pressure situations, adding: “You see him those first few days here, what he had to go through and how he did it with that composure. You look at his body language and the decisions that he takes, he doesn’t get very affected. That’s a key quality.”
Initially, Arsenal supporters publicly backed their ousted No 1. Ramsdale’s name was sung by away fans during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October, on what was a shaky night for Raya. A strong bond between the England international and the Arsenal faithful had been established and as of yet, Raya has been unable to replicate that.
That may now change. Raya has generally been a solid presence, especially since the turn of the year during Arsenal’s relentless run of form. Despite only playing 22 league games, Raya has more clean sheets (with nine) than any other Premier League goalkeeper this season.
His more proactive style has also helped Arsenal to evolve tactically. Raya ranks sixth for defensive actions outside his own penalty area per-90 minutes this season; Ramsdale was 15th for the same metric last season.
Teams can press higher up the pitch when they have a sweeper keeper behind them as they will invariably rush out to deal with passes behind the defence and the intensity of Arsenal’s off-the-ball work has noticably risen in 2024.
But Raya still needed to deliver a big performance on a big stage to convince the sceptics. Fellow summer recruits Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have been taken to, with Arsenal fans serenading them both during every game.
Raya’s name hasn’t yet been worked into a 2010s pop song or a terrace classic, but perhaps now it might. It took him a while to make his mark at Arsenal. Finally, he has arrived.