15 August 2023 , 13:49
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David Raya will wear the No.22 shirt at Arsenal after his move from Brentford was completed... but he's got Aaron Ramsdale's No.1 jersey in his sights.
Raya, 27, has joined the Gunners on a season-long loan deal. Arsenal have the option to make the transfer permanent, with Raya now battling Ramsdale, 26, to be Mikel Arteta's first-choice goalkeeper. Raya's contract with Brentford was due to expire in a year's time but this has been extended to stop him from leaving on a free transfer.
Raya's agent Jaume Munell confirmed Raya's shirt number on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon before the transfer was officially announced. Munell posted a picture of him and his client during a training session, with the latter wearing the No.22 shirt.
Although Raya's arrival will spark a battle for a starting role with Ramsdale, Arsenal's newest recruit insists he wants to former a "GK union" with the Englishman. It'll be interesting to see which goalkeeper starts their next game against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
"I’m over the moon to be able to take this challenge in my career and make the step up," Raya told Arsenal's website. "I’m really excited to get going and see how the season ends up. I spoke to the boss and he sent me the values of what Arsenal are about.
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"The way that the club is going, it’s growing even more so it is a beautiful challenge to take and I couldn’t say no. I’ve seen Arsenal a lot for a lot of years and since [Mikel] came he’s made a massive difference to the style of play and to the club.
"The way the team plays out of the back, being confident and taking possession to the other team is the main thing why I fit into the team. I’m going to try and help as much as possible and we’ll see what happens."
On his rivalry with Ramsdale, Raya added: "I can’t wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going. That’s a tight group that we’re always going to get along and push each other, so that’s going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can’t wait to get going and meet the lads."
Raya started his professional career with Blackburn and played a crucial role in their promotion from League One five years ago. He joined Brentford in the summer of 2019 and has played 161 games for the Londoners, including 38 in the Premier League last season. Raya made his debut for Spain last year and has won two caps to date, helping them win the Nations League earlier this summer.
Arsenal's sporting director Edu is delighted to sign Raya. He said: "We welcome David to us on a season-long loan from Brentford. David is a top-quality goalkeeper, who has consistently performed to a high level with Brentford in the Premier League. With David joining us we are adding quality and depth to our squad so we can perform at the highest possible level in all competitions."
Raya's shirt number was leaked before the transfer was announced
The Spaniard wants to become Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeperDo you think David Raya will become Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper? Let us know in the comments below!
Former Premier League stopper Brad Friedel, who played for the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham during his playing career, believes Raya and Ramsdale will struggle to be team-mates at Arsenal due to their mutual desire to be Arteta's first-choice goalkeeper.
Friedel made the claim during an appearance on talkSPORT on Tuesday afternoon. He said: "Both (Raya and Ramsdale are) really good goalkeepers, you know, we're talking the elite of the elite... Can two No.1s exist at one club? No, they can't. One wants to play.
"The guy who was just there, Matt Turner, sat on the bench for a whole year. He shouldn't have really signed for Arsenal in the first place in my opinion. He's good enough to play somewhere. But after a whole season, you soon get frustrated."
Friedel believes the "only" time having two goalkeepers of Raya's and Ramsdale's quality works is if one of the goalkeepers is "really young" and "learning". Yet both of Arsenal's stoppers are in their theoretical primes and won't want to warm the bench.
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Friedel added: "Raya is a Premier League goalkeeper that's good enough to be no.1 at a host of clubs. Any goalkeeper I've ever met that has the ability to be a No.1 when they are a No.2 for one month, OK... when it gets past the third month, you're frustrated."