Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has named Arsenal’s David Raya among the two best goalkeepers currently playing in the Premier League.
The Netherlands international believes Raya and Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma have set themselves apart through their consistently impressive performances.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session with the Premier League, Verbruggen was asked to identify the division’s leading goalkeeper, excluding himself.
The Brighton shot-stopper declined to choose a single player, instead placing Raya alongside Donnarumma at the top of his rankings.
“That would be between Raya and Donnarumma for me,” Verbruggen said. “The level they’re reaching on a consistent basis is impressive, and they’re doing very well, so I’ll put it between them.”
His assessment represents another significant endorsement of Raya, who has established himself as an important figure in Arsenal’s recent success.
The Spain international played a central role in Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph last season, providing reliability behind one of the competition’s strongest defensive units.
Raya has continued to demonstrate his importance this term, combining his shot-stopping ability with the distribution required in Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s system.
His performances have also earned recognition beyond the Premier League, with the 31-year-old recently named among the three finalists for the 2026 FIFPRO Men’s World 11 goalkeeper position.
Raya faces competition from Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Emiliano Martinez for a place in the team, which will be announced on November 9.
The Arsenal goalkeeper also played an important role in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
Although he was not required to make numerous conventional saves, Raya produced several important interventions as Arsenal protected their narrow advantage.
The result ended Arsenal’s 14-year wait for a Premier League victory at Anfield and returned the defending champions to the top of the table.
Verbruggen’s praise is particularly notable given his own reputation as one of the Premier League’s promising young goalkeepers.
The 24-year-old has established himself as Brighton’s first-choice goalkeeper and regularly represents the Netherlands at international level.
During the same interview, Verbruggen also named former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar as his greatest Premier League goalkeeper of all time.
He explained that Van der Sar had been his childhood hero, acknowledging that his admiration for the former Netherlands international influenced his choice.
Verbruggen also selected Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes as the Premier League’s leading current penalty taker.
However, his assessment of Raya and Donnarumma provided the clearest indication of which goalkeepers he believes are currently setting the standard in English football.