Fabian Hurzeler was not happy with David Raya's antics during Brighton's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League in midweek.
Hurzeler unleashed a massive rant after the match at the Amex Stadium where he took aim at Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's tactics. He also claimed that Raya should have been given two yellow cards and sent off for time-wasting. He said, per talkSPORT:
"I think it's difficult, but we just need clearer rules, and normally the goalkeeper should be sent off with two yellow cards for time-wasting, but you can't do it and therefore if you don't have clear rules, I think it's difficult for the referee.
"But I made my point before it and like I just mentioned we have to find a solution. The Premier League has to find a solution because I don't know how you see it but for me it doesn't make it fun to see these kind of games."
Hurzeler also said Arsenal's tactics 'are not football' and vowed 'I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way.'
Following the German's rant and his crticism of Raya, the Athletic have crunched the numbers and revealed how much time it takes every starting Premier League goalkeeper to release the ball following a pick up or claim this season.
20-11
senne lammens manchester united
Goalkeepers are given eight seconds to release the ball, or the opposition is awarded a corner-kick. It is therefore no surprise that no player has taken more than that to get rid of the ball on average this season.
The goalkeeper that takes the longest to release the ball following a pick-up or claim is Man Utd stopper, Senne Lammens. The Belgian takes 7.68 seconds on average, which is by far the longest of any starting Premier League goalkeeper.
Other players that take a long time - but not as long as Lammens - are Bart Verbruggen (6.52 seconds) and Jordan Pickford (6.5 seconds).
2025/26 Premier League goalkeepers - average time to release the ball (20-11)
Position
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10-1
david raya
Hurzeler wasn't impressed with Raya's antics, but it turns out he is among the quickest goalkeepers to release the ball in the Premier League. He's taken 3.96 seconds on average to let go of the ball after a pick-up or claim; only two goalkeepers have done so quicker. They are Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic (Bournemouth) and Nick Pope (Newcastle).
Among the other goalkeepers in England's top flight that are quick to let the ball go and restart play quickly are Chelsea's Robert Sanchez, Liverpool's Alisson Becker, and Brentford's Caoimhin Kelleher.
2025/26 Premier League goalkeepers - average time to release the ball (10-1)
Position
10
9
=7
=7
6
5
4
3
2
1