Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has had to make plenty of big calls during his time at the helm but his decision to change goalkeepers back in 2023 has been singled out by Jamie Carragher
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06:00, 22 May 2025
David Raya
Mikel Arteta's decision to sign David Raya has been described as one of his 'best decisions' ever
Mikel Arteta has been lauded by Jamie Carragher for having the courage to replace Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya following another stellar season for the Arsenal goalkeeper.
More than a few eyebrows were raised when Raya, 29, was signed on loan from Brentford in the summer of 2023 to compete with Ramsdale, who was viewed as the Gunners' undisputed first-choice keeper. But the Spaniard promptly leapfrogged Ramsdale in the pecking order and has gone from strength to strength in an Arsenal shirt.
With Raya establishing himself both as a colossal figure in Arsenal's rear guard and one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers, the furore over Arteta's controversial decision has mostly been forgotten.
But Carragher has referenced Arteta's call after considering Raya for his team of the season, saying it was one of the 'best decisions' the Arsenal manager has ever made.
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"I picked Alisson as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season but I was very close to picking David Raya," Carragher said on The Overlap.
"Alisson had that performance against PSG and that was one of the best we’ve seen from a goalkeeper so maybe that stuck in my head. But Raya probably had five or six world-class saves this season. There was one against Aston Villa and Ollie Watkins but it was that long ago that it feels like last season.
"That was one of the best decisions Mikel Arteta made, it was brave because Aaron Ramsdale was a bit of a fans’ favourite but Arsenal were never going to win anything big with him in goal.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 12: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, and David Raya of Arsenal embrace at full-time after victory in the penalty shoot out following the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Porto at Emirates Stadium on March 12, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has praised Arteta for bringing Raya in
"They haven’t done that with Raya yet either by the way but it was a good decision."
While Raya has established himself as the club's No.1 with Ramsdale since moving on, Arteta is keen to acquire more competition for the Spain international ahead of the 2025-26 campaign with Espanyol's Joan Garcia once again on his radar.
Arsenal pursued a deal for the 24-year-old last summer in their search for a Ramsdale replacement. But they will try for his signature again in the upcoming transfer window with the star now likely to leave Espanyol.
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