David Raya &#8211; CaughtOffside

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Some will feel Ramsdale was good enough to continue as Arsenal’s number one, but Raya is certainly another fine player, having really impressed during his time at Brentford.

If he can reproduce that form as an Arsenal player, then this will surely end up being smart business by the north London giants.

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‘It is a dream come true’ – David Raya opens up on summer move to Arsenal

Sean Walker — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 19:54:37 +0000

David Raya has revealed how grateful he is to have joined Arsenal after completing a move in the summer.

The Spanish goalkeeper signed on loan from Brentford with many expecting the Gunners to make the move permanent once they have the funds available.

Fans were surprised by the acquisition of the 28-year-old as they considered Aaron Ramsdale still a fantastic goalkeeper and believed that he did not deserve to lose his place.

With the fans already sceptical about the signing, Raya’s shaky start to life in North London didn’t help sway the opinion of supporters.

But he has since settled down and has been given his first cap for Spain as a result.

Starting in La Roja’s 3-1 win against Cyprus on Thursday, the goalkeeper expressed how happy he was to sign for Mikel Arteta’s side after the game.

“It is a privilege to be a starter at Arsenal and come here,” Raya told AS.

“It is a gift that the coach has given me. Happy and grateful.

“Coming here is a privilege and a dream. For me it is a dream come true. It is my debut in a qualifier. Grateful.”

At least for the foreseeable future, Raya will be Arsenal’s number one and will play a pivotal role in their quest to dethrone Manchester City.

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Arsenal player’s agent states Mikel Arteta’s “priority”

Jake Staniland — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 18:31:10 +0000

Despite criticism from some pundits and Arsenal fans, goalkeeper David Raya’s agent revealed that Mikel Arteta had always desired him as the first-choice goalkeeper.

Raya, who signed on loan from Brentford during the summer transfer window, displaced Aaron Ramsdale as the primary shot-stopper. While Raya has faced scrutiny due to errors leading to goals or near-misses, his agent emphasised Raya’s enjoyment of life at the Emirates.

Arteta, a long-time admirer of the Spanish international, initially considered signing Raya before opting for Aaron Ramsdale in the summer of 2021.

The agent of David Raya, Jaume Munell told AFTV:

“Arsenal showed interest for the first time three years ago in 2021. They tried to buy him but Brentford didn’t want to sell him at any price. After they bought Aaron Ramsdale, that was an easier option, but David has always been the priority.”

While Arteta may favour Raya over Ramsdale, the decision to replace the England international has been put into question by analysts of the game after a serious of unforced errors made by the Spanish keeper.

The Spanish international has conceded 0.7 goals per game, registering four clean sheets and averaging one save per game, according to SofaScore. Meanwhile, Ramsdale has conceded one goal per game, registering one clean sheet and averaging a slightly higher save per game than Raya (1.3).

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Arsenal had to beat off competition from London duo to land Raya

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:19:05 +0000

It would appear that Arsenal’s pursuit of goalkeeper, David Raya, was anything less than straightforward, with a number of other clubs apparently interested, including two from London.

Clearly, an approach from teams within the capital will have appealed to the custodian as it would’ve meant no need to uproot his family, though that wouldn’t necessarily have ruled out approaches from elsewhere.

Raya’s agent, Jaume Munell, explained in an exclusive interview with AFTV, that the Gunners had a long-standing interest in his client and that was the reason that, in the end, he signed for the north London outfit.

“Arsenal showed interest for the first time three years ago in 2021. They tried to buy him but Brentford didn’t want to sell him at any price. After they bought Ramsdale that was an easier option but David has always been the priority,” Munell noted.

“This summer, he had just one year left on his contract with Brentford and Arsenal was the club that showed the most concrete interest and have always been our priority.

“Tottenham also was interested and made an official bid but it was refused because was lower than the 40 million euros that Brentford wanted to sell him, also Bayern Munich was interested and had an amazing offer but with no buy option included and for this reason, we’ve not accepted it.

“Bayern Munich didn’t understand our refusal because they thought that Raya would have been the backup keeper at Arsenal but as you can see it’s not like this. Also Manchester United and Chelsea made an inquiry but nothing concrete.”

Financial Fair Play issues were also the reason behind why the move was a loan rather than permanent transfer this season according to Metro.

Though it was initially believed that Raya was leaving Brentford to challenge Aaron Ramsdale for the Arsenal No.1 shirt, it’s clear now that Arteta’s plan was to install the Spaniard as his preferred choice between the sticks.

It’s entirely possible that if the current status quo doesn’t change, that the England custodian will be on his way out of the club, perhaps even to Chelsea.

Much will depend on whether Arteta continues to prefer Raya over him, which appears likely given that Ramsdale hasn’t had a look in since he lost his place.

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Comment: Arteta can rage all he like about VAR but his signings have taken Arsenal backwards this season

Mark Brus — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 11:34:46 +0000

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had plenty to say about the VAR decision that he felt cost his side the game against Newcastle on Saturday, but the truth is that it looks like his post-match rant is little more than a convenient distraction from the fact that the changes he’s made this season have taken his team backwards.

Many will have had Arsenal as one of the title favourites this season, with the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham during the summer showing huge ambition to pull off against their bitter rivals Manchester City. Rice aside, however, the Gunners have not spent their money particularly well, and it’s allowed both Liverpool and Tottenham to overtake them as more likely rivals to Pep Guardiola’s treble winners this term.

Arsenal were truly excellent last season and may well have won the title if not for William Saliba’s injury meaning Rob Holding had to fill in for so many important games – an enforced change that looks even worse now with the benefit of hindsight as Saliba has returned to fitness and form while Holding has barely kicked a ball since his summer move to Crystal Palace.

So while last year was no fluke, there was a huge opportunity here for Arsenal, and it’s starting to look like they haven’t taken it: losing Granit Xhaka, one of their players of the season, seems all the more baffling after his tremendous start at Bayer Leverkusen, while Kai Havertz’s signing never really looked like it made sense and still doesn’t, while big questions have to be asked of Arteta for bringing in David Raya as his new number one when Aaron Ramsdale had a perfectly good season in 2022/23.

David Raya hasn’t looked convincing for Arsenal so far

Of course, Arsenal have had some awful luck with injuries which shouldn’t be forgotten – Jurrien Timber, most cruelly, didn’t even last his full Premier League debut and will be fortunate to play any meaningful role this season. Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus has only played a handful of games, following on from some fitness issues last term as well. Thomas Partey also can’t seem to stay fit, begging the question once again as to why it was Xhaka rather than him who was shown the door over the summer.

The continued absence of Jesus has meant more playing time for Eddie Nketiah – a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium after rising up through the club’s academy, but not a striker who is ever likely to be good enough for a title-challenging team. Hat-tricks against teams like Sheffield United will of course bring a cheer to the Emirates crowd, but it’s pretty worthless when he can’t seem to score away from home or make much of an impact against teams in the top half. There’s no guarantee Folarin Balogun would have been a better option, but you could again forgive Arsenal fans for asking if they sold the right striker this summer.

Mikel Arteta was furious after the defeat to Newcastle

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Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

All in all, it’s not looking good for Arteta and he knows it. “There’s so much at stake here … it’s so difficult to compete at this level,” the Spanish tactician said after the game, almost hinting that Newcastle’s controversial goal may already have cost his side the title this year – but the truth is arguably more frustrating than that: Arsenal were in a position to take a positive step forward, but, for whatever reason, ended up over-thinking it and reinventing the wheel when the old one was rolling along quite nicely in the right direction.

We all know it took Manchester City a bit of time to get going last season as they continued to trail Arsenal in the title race, and some Gooners may comfort themselves that a similar phenomenon is occurring here and that the tide could change in particular once Partey and Jesus are available again, and if Timber can return earlier can expected, but the truth is that for all the faith placed in Raya and Havertz, Arsenal are not yet seeing any kind of return on their summer investment – unless those two can really step up soon, that will be where Arteta and co. have to look back and take some responsibility for their own poor decision-making.

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“Absolutely all over the place” – Carragher makes damning claim about key Arteta signing for Arsenal

Mark Brus — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 12:52:58 +0000

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has been heavily criticised by pundit Jamie Carragher following yesterday’s 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle United.

Raya impressed during his time at Brentford before moving on loan to Arsenal this season, ahead of what is expected to end up being a permanent move.

Still, it’s not been the most convincing start by Raya, while some will also feel that last season’s number one Aaron Ramsdale didn’t really deserve to lose his place to begin with.

It was a big call by Mikel Arteta to replace Ramsdale with Raya, and Carragher has suggested that it’s now becoming increasingly clear that this was the wrong choice by the Arsenal manager…

"Have Arsenal got a centre forward and a goalkeeper who can win you the league? I'm not sure they have." @Carra23 says David Raya is 'absolutely all over the place' at the moment ? pic.twitter.com/LZd4hTCAbO

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 4, 2023

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Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

It may be that Raya will eventually come good, or that Arteta will end up putting Ramsdale back into the starting line up, leaving Raya as a very capable backup option.

Still, it’s food for thought after a bad result for Arsenal away to Newcastle yesterday, with the Gunners surely unable to afford too many more slip-ups if they want to be serious title challengers this term.

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Arsenal player ratings: Jesus puts in all round performance as Arsenal return to winning ways

Connor Holden — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 10:32:32 +0000

Arsenal managed to beat Sevilla in their Champions League group stage match, winning 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Arsenal took the lead right at the end of the first half with a goal from Gabriel Martinelli, before making it two in the 53rd minute through Gabriel Jesus.

Sevilla grabbed one back in the 58th minute through Nemanja Gudelj, however the game ended 2-1 and the Gunners managed to get all three points.

Read on for our Arsenal player ratings, and who stood out for the Gunners…

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Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

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David Raya – 6 – Only made the one save, did make three high claims though and completed five long passes. Not much he could do about the goal.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7 – Looked solid slotting in the inverted fullback role, completed two of his four long balls and made three clearances.

Gabriel Magalhaes – 6 – Lost a few more duels than usual, only winning two of his six attempted duels, however he did make two out of his six long balls and made three clearances.

William Saliba – 7 – Was more involved defensvily, with six clearances and one tackle, and was also the main defender bringing the ball out from the back with 46 accurate passes made out of his 55 attempted.

Ben White – 6 – Was dribbled past on a few occasions and beaten down his flank for Sevilla to put crosses into the box, and didn’t offer much on the overlap for Arsenal.

Declan Rice – 7.5 – Really solid in midfield and looked to be progressive with the ball making three key passes in this game. He also made two tackles, one interceptions and one block protecting the defensive unit.

Jorginho – 6 – Was in the team to control the tempo and he did use the ball well moving it side to side with a 95% passing accuracy and 63 touches. However did pick up a yellow and was slightly liable in transition.

Martin Odegaard – 6 – Not his best game in terms of creation, making no key passes and only creating 0.02 x/A (expected assists). Only had 30 touches and made 17 accurate passes.

Gabriel Martinelli – 8 – Got the opening goal calmly rounding the keeper and slotting it home and could have had another. Made four key passes and looked threatening throughout down the left flank.

Gabriel Jesus – 9 – A complete performance from the centre forward, getting a goal and an assist, making three key passes and creating two big chances. Linked up play very well between the lines.

Bukayo Saka – 7 – A quieter game for Saka, maybe due to the brilliance of the other forwards, still managed three key passes and two shots (both of which were blocked)

Subs: Kai Havertz 4, Eddie Nketiah 4, Leandro Trossard 5, Jakub Kiwior N/A.

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Video: Arsenal warned that summer signing could negatively impact two other key players

Mark Brus — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 08:35:17 +0000

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya could start to have a negative impact on key defensive players William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes if he continues to struggle like he is at the moment, according to pundits Craig Burley and Shaka Hislop.

Speaking on ESPN FC in the video below, the pair agree that Raya seems close to becoming more of a problem for the Gunners, even if we’re not quite yet at the stage where the team’s defenders seem to be starting to lose faith in him…

Arsenal signed Raya on loan from Brentford in the summer, which surprised a few fans and pundits at the time as Aaron Ramsdale seemed like the obvious first choice for Mikel Arteta’s side.

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Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Raya has been starting more games recently, though, so the Spaniard now has a point to prove, as Ramsdale hadn’t done a lot wrong before losing his place.

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Chelsea interested in surprise transfer raid on Arsenal to fix problem position

Mark Brus — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 13:58:56 +0000

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a surprise potential transfer swoop for Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, according to Ben Jacobs in his column for Simon Phillips Talks Chelsea.

The Gunners signed David Raya on loan from Brentford during the summer, and he now seems to be Mikel Arteta’s clear choice as number one, meaning a player like Ramsdale may well be unsettled as he’s surely good enough to be a starter elsewhere.

The 25-year-old will also surely be concerned about his England place, as he could fall out of favour with Gareth Southgate if he continues to warm the bench at the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea also made a change in goal this summer, bringing in Robert Sanchez from Brighton, but it’s fair to say he’s not been too convincing so far.

Aaron Ramsdale could be an option for Chelsea

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Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m