When Mikel Arteta made the cruel call to replace fan favorite Aaron Ramsdale, the football world was taken aback.
Arsenal already have a top-class English goalkeeper, who is very popular and the move to David Raya felt unnecessary.
However, the Spaniard has more reason for his signing, and the decision made by Arteta.
Raya has won the Golden Glove award in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons now.
Following yet another heroic, match-winning performance in a crucial, dramatic win over West Ham United, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has joined a growing group of loud voices declaring that the Spaniard is not only England’s best goalscorer, but possibly the best goalkeeper in the world.
David Raya played a big role for Arsenal
Against West Ham, in a game defined by a lot of late pressure and a huge VAR controversy, Raya again proved to be the big difference maker.
Redknapp was quick to put his hands up and admit his initial doubts, highlighting the incredible vision shown by the Arsenal manager.
‘If you think back, that’s when the manager deserves credit because when David Raya first arrived, I wasn’t sure about that decision,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports, as reported by Metro.
‘Arsenal already had a good goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale. I was thinking, “why did you make that change?”
But this season Raya has shown that he is definitely the best goalkeeper in the Premier League and maybe the best goalkeeper in the world.
‘It’s unbelievable at the moment. You have to give credit to the goalkeeper. He stood up and took out his right foot. It is an incredible salvation.’
Spain is highly regarded by the Gunners
Last month, following Raya’s Champions League performance, team-mate Kai Havertz publicly expressed a similar opinion, calling the 30-year-old outstanding and the best player in the world in his position.
Arteta himself has been hailing his number one as extraordinary, fully proven by the player who single-handedly saved points for the Gunners time and time again.
Although the £27 million paid to Brentford was initially considered a lavish sum, it now looks downright lucrative for the decade.
Raya has given Arsenal the calm, world-class foundation needed to deal with pressure situations and the ability to make saves when goals look certain.
With the Gunners poised on the brink of lifting the Premier League trophy, Arteta’s bold transfer gamble has turned into a masterstroke.
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