3 reasons why Arsenal MUST sign David Raya permanently

While his initial arrival was met with some scepticism, David Raya simply must be signed permanently by Arsenal this summer.

Last season saw Aaron Ramsdale keep an impressive 14 clean sheets in the Premier League, joint-second only to David De Gea, who kept 17.

Despite this, the Gunners opted to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window, with Raya joining the club on loan with an option to buy from Brentford.

While it was initially unclear who would be first-choice in goal for Mikel Arteta, the question was quickly answered as Raya assumed the starting role just five games into the season.

Since then, Raya has had several nervy moments where fans have questioned his ability and whether his loan signing, and the decision to start him, was right, but he has looked far more comfortable in recent weeks and is justifying exactly why he was brought to the club.

But now a decision will soon need to be made as to whether the Gunners make his signing permanent or if they instead opt to revert to Ramsdale next season, who has remained a professional throughout his turbulent season at the club.

Here's why Arsenal need to secure the permanent signing of the Spaniard.

1. Excellent distribution

This season, in 21 appearances to date, Raya has boasted a 71% pass completion rate, which is eight per cent higher than Ramsdale achieved in the entirety of last season which, while marginal, is a notable improvement.

As well as his overall stats, the Spaniard has been an immense asset to the team thanks to his distribution, and has single-handedly kickstarted attacks with a single goal kick, and has come close on several occasions to registering assists.

This is not to say Ramsdale's distribution was poor by any stretch of the imagination, as he himself had an excellent record too and often received praise for his long-range passing accuracy, but it would be remiss to suggest that Raya is not at least slightly superior in this department.

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