David Raya…

Morning all.

Sky Sports’ Nick Wright has an interview with David Raya in which our goalkeeper talks about his last 12 months in football.

Following Spain’s European Championship final win over England, his priority was to seek out Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale to offer consolation.

Obviously, I was over the moon, but I was upset for them as well because they worked so hard. They are really, really nice guys and they are my team-mates. It’s upsetting for them, and for the whole country, but for myself – this is something that I will never forget.

When I came to England at 16, the only thing I wanted to do was enjoy football and enjoy the challenge. Of course, you think about stuff that you might be able to do, but I just kept giving myself targets in the short and medium term, footballing-wise. Winning the Euros was one and playing for Arsenal was one. I’m happy to say that I have achieved some of my dreams.

David Raya had a great season for Arsenal, winning the golden glove of course but he also outclassed other clubs keepers in different areas of the game. 7 Arsenal moves which began with him, no other keeper managed more than 2.

Raya also talked about being on loan last season, hoping that the move would be made permanent.

When you break up for summer and you go with the internationals, you focus more on international football at that moment. But I had it in the back of my mind, ‘Am I going to sign? Am I not?’ It was a relief to sign the contract for the coming years. It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s fantastic, with the way the club is going, the players, the staff, everyone around the club, the fans. It’s amazing.

You don’t know how good it is until you are inside. It’s a pleasure to be here and it’s a dream come true to be able to be part of this club.

His move to Arsenal had a knock on effect for Aaron Ramsdale who had to get used to watching from bench. Speculation is that he’ll leave before the end of the transfer window and I can understand why he’d want to. He’s too good and too young to be sitting on the bench. Whichever club snaps him up will get a very good goalkeeper. Perhaps things would have turned out differently for him at Arsenal had injuries not derailed our 2022/23 league challenge. Raya on the other hand, had the benefit of a fully fit William Saliba, Gabriel and Ben White for most of last season. Admittedly, Arteta had problems to deal with a left back but this time around, he has a glut of talent to select from. Another area Raya benefited from was in midfield after Declan Rice arrived last summer. After all, a goalkeepers job is ‘easier’ when there’s a solid team in front of him.

When Raya was asked about Arsenal’s two central defenders:

Pfff,” he says, puffing out his cheeks at the mention of them, as if unsure where to start. They are so strong and the relationship they have between them is incredible, They both know where the other one is in every situation, so they have each other’s backs. And they’re so clever, both of them, considering they are relatively young. I know Wilo is a bit younger than Gabriel, but they are both relatively young and the positions they take up on the pitch to avoid stuff happening are incredible.

What about the new guy, Riccardo Calafiori?

He is very, very strong. He goes for the tackles. He just goes for it. He would put his head in a washing machine, if you know what I’m saying. But the main thing is that he’s a great guy as well as a great player.

There’s more to the interview than the bits I’ve covered as he talks about the impact Iñaki Caña has had on game but I’ll leave you to read that.

Catch up in the comments.