David Raya has opened up on his difficult start to life at Arsenal and how a two-hour meeting at the club's training ground helped turn his Emirates career around
16:44, 04 Jun 2025
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - MAY 06: David Raya of Arsenal looks on during a training session and press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League 2024/25 semi final first/second leg match at Sobha Realty Training Centre on May 06, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
David Raya had a two-hour meeting at Arsenal's training ground to address his poor form(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
David Raya has revealed the turning point that transformed his fortunes at Arsenal.
Despite clinching the Premier League's Golden Glove award for two consecutive seasons thanks to his remarkable clean sheet haul, Raya initially faced difficulties after joining the Gunners on loan from Brentford in 2023.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's decision to play Raya over England international Aaron Ramsdale raised concerns following Raya's high-profile errors early in the 2023/24 season. The Spaniard reached an all-time low after two blunders during Arsenal's 4-3 Premier League victory over Luton in December 2023.
The 29-year-old keeper explained on the Fozcast podcast how he sought the guidance of the club's goalkeeping coach, Inaki Cana, the same night to rectify his struggles: "It was a turning point against Luton. That game was one of the worst games I ever played and that's where I hit rock bottom. From there, the only way was up with changing my habits and trying to change my mindset.
"From that game, I said, 'Listen, this is not me.' I think there's been a massive change from there. I met with the goalie coach after the game at the training round and we were there for two hours, talking about things that we could change.
LUTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Elijah Adebayo of Luton Town scores the team's second goal as David Raya of Arsenal fails to make a save during the Premier League match between Luton Town and Arsenal FC at Kenilworth Road on December 05, 2023 in Luton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Raya made two major mistakes in a Premier League match at Luton(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
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"He helped me a lot in that situation and just believed in me. I worked with him, worked with the sports psychologist and relied on my missus and my family to try to help me as much as possible. That's when I started feeling better."
After making his transfer to Arsenal permanent last summer, Raya has taken the Gunners' number one short for the next season, previously donning the number 22 jersey.
Raya admitted he may have been playing with too much fear at Arsenal due to the controversy surrounding his selection, stating: "I wasn't myself 100 per cent. Maybe it was in the back of my head last year with all the thoughts that were behind the goalie situation. There could've been a lot of factors like the loan thing and maybe not having that [permanent] contract."
Finishing runner-up in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons has been a source of frustration for the Gunners. Raya shared the squad's disappointment at losing out on the title by just five points to Manchester City in the 2023/24 campaign.
He expressed: "I think it hurt more last season because of everything that we'd done, all the points that we got and the run that we went on.
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"After the [mid-season] Dubai trip, we lost one game, we drew another one and we won the rest. But not fulfilling that title, and being so close and not getting it, that hurt a little bit more."