There is no goalkeeper in the world better suited to this Arsenal team than David Raya, but the Gunners should be in no rush to extend his contract, expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.
The Spain international has established himself as one of the planet's finest shot-stoppers since arriving in North London, winning back-to-back Golden Gloves in the last two Premier League seasons and receiving acclaim for a number of remarkable reaction stops.
Arsenal recently rewarded Raya with a bumper pay rise to reflect his status in the squad, and the former Brentford man is already making a strong play for a third successive Premier League Golden Glove prize in the 2025-26 campaign.
Raya has shipped just three goals in his nine appearances across all competitions so far this season, and Watts would rather have the 30-year-old in his starting XI than the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Jan Oblak.
“I knew he was going to be a good goalkeeper at the time," Watts said. "But he's just been brilliant, especially to come through that start when everyone was focussing on him. There was so much criticism about the decision because of what it meant for Aaron Ramsdale.
“He had a shaky start as well because of the spotlight that was on him. But no-one's questioning it any more. He’s been an absolutely fantastic signing. Absolute bargain at the price that they paid for him. I genuinely wouldn't want any other goalkeeper in the world at Arsenal.
'Would Gianluigi Donnarumma be as good for Arsenal as David Raya?'
Charles Watts YouTube image
“He’s so perfect for this team - the way they play, the way that Mikel Arteta wants his goalkeeper to perform - there is just no one else. You’ve got Donnarumma, you've got Jan Oblak, and a few others as well. But would they be as good as David Raya in this Arsenal team? I don't think so.”
Raya was originally signed on loan from Brentford in 2023 to much scepticism, as Aaron Ramsdale had excelled for Mikel Arteta's side in the previous two seasons, but the Englishman soon lost his place in the starting XI to his Spanish counterpart.
Arteta's call was initially criticised as Raya made a couple of high-profile errors, but the former Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper kept an unrivalled 16 clean sheets in the 2023-24 Premier League season, shortly before his signing was made permanent that same summer for around £27m.
While Raya has been given a merited pay rise, he has not actually had his contract extended - similarly to Leandro Trossard- and his current terms are due to expire at the end of the 2027-28 season.
The Gunners are therefore in no rush to tie him down to a longer-term deal, especially as his terms also contain a 12-month option, but Jurrien Timber's deal also runs out in 2028, andArsenal are in talks with the Dutch defender over a new contract.
Why Arsenal should be in "no rush" to extend David Raya's contract
Arsenal's David Raya pictured on September 22, 2024
Raya could easily continue at the top level for another decade or more, but Watts feels that there is no urgency to prolong his terms, adding: “He’s got three years left and he's also an option of another year, so you're basically taking him up to 34 years old there.
"I don’t think he needed to extend terms on this one, it was perfectly right just to give him the reward in terms of bumping his pay up.
“He would have got a nice pay rise moving from Brentford to Arsenal, but it'd be nowhere near the standing that he needs, because he's made himself one of the best goalkeepers in the world. But he's got potentially another four years left on that deal. So I don't think there's any rush for that.
“Thirty-four is still young for a goalkeeper, but things change. Football moves very, very quickly. No-one would have thought that Aaron Ramsdale, when he signed his new contract, within six months would be out the door. Four years potentially is fine for Raya.”
At the other end of the pitch, injured striker Gabriel Jesus has been linked with a return to Palmeiras, and Watts also explained the "regrets" that Arteta and Arsenal would feelabout the Brazilian's time at the Emirates.
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