At a Glance:
Alan Shearer names Arsenal’s best player as they win the Premier League.
Shearer picks Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya.
The Newcastle United legend has changed his mind about their best player.
Several of the 2025/2026 Arsenal squad have attained legendary status after leading the club to the Premier League title.
Bukayo Saka has been setting records since becoming a first-team player for the Gunners and there is a possibility that the fans consider him a club legend after the 24-year-old has become a league winner.
The same applies to David Raya, who has been exceptional in between the sticks this campaign and could now be mentioned in the same breath as iconic Arsenal goalkeepers like David Seaman and Jens Lehmann.
Recently, Alan Shearer named Declan Rice as Arsenal’s best player recently and the standout performer in the Premier League this season.
Alan Shearer picks David Raya as Arsenal’s best player this season
After Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions, Shearer picked Rice, Raya and Gabriel Magalhaes on The Rest Is Football podcast as the three best performers for the club this campaign.
“I think the three outstanding players for Arsenal would be, from back to front, David Raya, the goalkeeper, Gabriel and Declan Rice. I just think those three players have been the outstanding players week after week, delivering performance after performance when it got tough.
“I think those three for most of the season have been the brilliant players, the outstanding players, the go-to players.”
However, much like Patrick Vieira, who hailed Raya as Arsenal and the Premier League’s best player, Alan Shearer did the same, saying: “I would actually have those three players in one, two and three probably. David Raya, Player of the Season for me.”
Declan Rice has already paid David Raya the ultimate compliment
It is hard to disagree with Alan Shearer, even though some of Raya’s teammates such as Rice and William Saliba would also be worthy candidates to be considered Arsenal’s best player.
However, the Spaniard has come up clutch in the business end of the season in particular, making crucial stops to deny Alejandro Garnacho and Mateus Fernandes to win his side important games.
As per Squawka, the 30-year-old’s tally of 19 clean sheets is the joint-highest in a season alongside David Seaman, who set the record in 1994 and replicated the feat in 1999.
Most clean sheets in a Premier League season for Arsenal:
◎ 19 – David Seaman (1993/94)
◎ 19 – David Seaman (1998/99)
◉ 19 – David Raya (2025/26) 🆕
The Spaniard equals the record. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/satsIvv70E
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 18, 2026
Rice lauded Raya by claiming that Arsenal would be lost without him, saying: “I don’t know where this club would be without the whole back four and the goalkeeper to be honest with you. It’s stuff that I haven’t seen before, the way they commit to training every week and what they give to fight for this club is extraordinary.
“They deserve everything they’ve got, I think it’s 18 [19 now] clean sheets on top of what they’ve done in the last few seasons, they deserve something, that back four for the work they put in for all of us.”