David Raya is ineligible to face Brentford this weekend, but Aaron Ramsdale’s return to goal will be short-lived.
David Raya has established himself as Arsenal’s number 1 goalkeeper. Aaron Ramsdale appears to be fighting to convince Mikel Arteta, which is increasingly difficult.
Because he is still on Brentford’s payroll, Raya will not play this weekend. Ramsdale will return to goal at Gtech Community Stadium. However, Ramsdale is likely to return to the bench for next week’s Champions League clash with Lens and, in fact, may not play again until the FA Cup in January.
Ramsdale’s future was in doubt. Gareth Southgate warned that the star born in 1998 could lose his place in the England team before EURO 2024. The former Bournemouth player must find a way to leave in January to play regularly.
Arsenal legend David Seaman commented that Ramsdale is “too good to be the number 2 goalkeeper”. Seaman added that a transfer in January would be “too soon”, but it seems inevitable as the London club prepares to buy Raya outright from Brentford for £27 million.
Raya is a player that Arteta tried to sign three years ago. This decision comes from a conscious change in the way Arteta wants his goalkeeper to play. Ramsdale is an excellent passer, but Raya is on another level. The Spanish goalkeeper made 1,475 passes in the Premier League last season, 200 more than any other goalkeeper and 541 more than Ramsdale. The appearance of the rookie helps Arsenal confidently deploy the ball from the backline regularly.
With Ramsdale last season, 35.4% of his passes were 36 yards or more. Under Raya, that number has dropped to 28.9%. The average length of the pass also decreased from 30 meters to 27.4 meters.
Raya has honed his footwork throughout his career, especially when he joined Blackburn at the age of 16. Steven Drench, academy goalkeeping coach at Rovers, made Raya lift a golf ball with his foot to hone his technique. Drench once said:
“David Raya is probably one of the best football players with his feet.”
Like his distribution, Raya’s quality in handling crosses makes him stand out. No goalkeeper in the National League this season has a higher percentage of crosses blocked than the Arsenal star. In the long term, Arteta believes that the statistics will support his decision to favor Raya.
Replacing Ramsdale, an influential figure in the Arsenal dressing room, wasn’t easy for Raya, but the new signing’s British humor and manners helped the Spain star get along. Check in at Emirates. Ramsdale’s father, Nick, revealed that his son had lost his smile since he was on the bench, but Arteta had a reason to stay loyal to that ruthlessness, even when the club had to say goodbye to a top goalkeeper.