Arsenal play Premier League rivals in friendly as David Raya earns rapid debut
David Raya has not had to wait long for his Arsenal debut after appearing in a 3-0 friendly win over Luton Town on Thursday.
The Spanish goalkeeper was confirmed as a Gunner on Tuesday with Mikel Arteta sealing a season-long loan deal for the Brentford stopper. Arsenal have the option to make that move permanent at the end of the campaign.
His arrival at the Emirates leaves regular number one Aaron Ramsdale in a tricky position, with his future now being called into question. Arteta was expected to drop a hint over his preferred goalkeeper during Monday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Spaniard has handed compatriot Raya an even earlier debut though in a behind-closed doors friendly against Luton. According to football.london, the clash with the newly-promoted side consisted of three 30-minute periods.
The Gunners eventually ran out 3-0 winners, with Belgian forward Leandro Trossard scoring a brace. Bukayo Saka added to his goal against Nottingham Forest on the opening day with another against the Hatters.
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Raya played 60 minutes of the 90 overall as he got the first chance to play alongside his new teammates. Asked what he would bring to Arsenal in his pre-match press conference, Arteta replied: “Better qualities for our game model, very simple. And we want two players per position, that they can do that.
Bukayo Saka scored against Luton in their behind-closed-doors friendly (Getty Images)What XI do you think Arteta should name against Luton? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“You saw what happened to Jurrien [Timber], it can happen to our goalkeeper, it happened to Courtois. So you need to be prepared.
“The question may be, ‘What is it with two goalkeepers of this size?’ But if Aaron were to sustain a cruciate, then what do you say? You then change the thing. So we have to be prepared, we have to be proactive. We have two excellent goalkeepers now that fit exactly what we want in our model. So I’m very happy with that.”
Away from Raya, Arteta was also handed a couple of injury boosts ahead of the game against Palace. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Reiss Nelson both appeared against Luton.
The pair were absent from the squad that took on Forest but will be hoping to be included sooner rather than later. After the clash with Palace on Monday, Arsenal take on Fulham and Manchester United before the first international break of the season.
The Gunners’ October calendar has already been altered. Their showdowns with Manchester City and Chelsea now have fresh kick-off times after being selected for live TV coverage.
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