%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
You thought Arsenal were done on the incomings front for a while, didn’t you?
Don’t worry, so did I.
News of the club’s interest in Brentford goalkeeper caught everybody off guard with David Ornstein dropping the bomb on Sunday afternoon. The Bees value the Spaniard at £40m, with Arsenal said to be in talks with the west London club over a transfer.
Brentford are happy to let Raya depart, but only for their asking price.
Given Arsenal’s need to strengthen higher up the pitch, the club’s interest in a lucrative keeper given their current depth chart at the position is certainly curious. But there might be a logic to the madness.
3 reasons why Arsenal are ‘exploring’ David Raya transfer
Here are three reasons why Arsenal want to sign the £40m-rated Raya.
https://twitter.com/PainInThArsenal/status/1685704293976793088
1. Raya’s an excellent goalkeeper
There’s a reason why Brentford are demanding such a high fee for a player whose contract expires next summer. Raya’s a superb goalkeeper and he’s coming off an excellent Premier League season.
The Spaniard’s post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (essentially the number of goals prevented) was the fourth-highest in the league last season at +5.0. He also successfully caught or punched the second-highest percentage of crosses (8.7) in the division and attempted a league-high number of passes (1367).
While Raya’s distribution over long distances caught the eye in west London, he’s also more than competent in the build-up phase.
An excellent shot-stopper who’s athletic, brave, and superb with the ball at his feet; Raya is as close as it gets to Arteta’s ideal goalkeeper, but Ramsdale isn’t far off that ideal either.
Continued on the next slide…
2. Serious competition for Ramsdale
Statistically, Ramsdale’s season wasn’t anywhere as impressive as Raya’s (he conceded more goals than he was expected to, and ranked 14th for the percentage of crosses ‘stopped’). Although, many would argue that Arsenal’s number one had a fine season. He ended the campaign with 14 clean sheets and was a major factor in the Gunners’ excellent season.
The England international started every Premier League game in 2022/23 with Matt Turner never likely to usurp the former Sheffield United and Bournemouth star. The American may have proved himself to be more than competent at the 2022 World Cup and in the cup competitions for the Gunners, but there was never a point when Ramsdale’s status seemed under threat.
That would undoubtedly change, though, should Raya join the club given the price Arsenal will likely have to pay to sign him. The Gunners aren’t interested in the Spaniard being another Turner, but a goalkeeper capable of representing the club on the biggest nights. Perhaps we could see a dynamic where Ramsdale remains the number one for Premier League outings, but Raya gets his shot in the Champions League.
However, will both keepers be content with sharing their minutes in such a way?
Continued on the next slide…
3. Is Arteta losing faith in Ramsdale?
Arsenal nor Arteta have lost faith in the goalkeeper they signed to a bumper new deal just two months ago. Ramsdale earned a contract extension until 2026 off the back of his work in 2022/23, and while he’s not been at his best in pre-season, it’s hard to believe that Arteta would turn his back on his number one so quickly.
However, Ramsdale still has some learning to do. While he’s evolved into one of the Premier League’s best since he usurped Bernd Leno between the sticks, there are holes in his game. He struggles in one-vs-one situations and when dealing with crosses, and there are consistency issues when it comes to both his shot-stopping and distribution.
Raya’s skill set is similar to Ramsdale’s and he certainly has the capacity to usurp Arsenal’s current number one. However, his arrival will undoubtedly ignite the fiery Englishman and perhaps take his game to another level.
We’re still some way off a deal being struck, but this situation is one to keep a close eye on in the coming days. This could move quickly if Arsenal reach an agreement with the Bees.