**Mikel Arteta**opened up about the impact of Kepa Arrizabalaga in the dressing room.
The Spaniard called on the services of his compatriot as the backup to David Raya for the Gunners as a goalkeeper. **Kepa**earned his first start for the team in the third round of the Carabao Cup against **Port Vale**in a 2-0 victory, and he will expect to earn more playing time against **Brighton**tonight.
However, minutes are infrequent for a player in his position, and the attitude of the 31-year-old has stood out to the manager. He must feel more comfortable after witnessing how things can be complicated in the shot stopping hierarchy with Aaron Ramsdale and Raya a couple of years ago.
“I think in the end, they have to earn it. David Raya has been incredibly good for us in the last few years and Kepa knew that when he came in, but he's ready to compete. If I have to highlight behaviours in that dressing room and culture, probably I would mention him as number one.
*“He's come into a different environment after winning everything in football, almost, being in the national team, Chelsea, Real Madrid, big, big clubs and he comes here and every single day he's behaving like tomorrow's training session is the most important one in his life. He will have his chances to play.*
“He's in a really good place, and if he plays tomorrow, I'm sure he will be really, really good.
“That connection, I think, and the environment that you create between the goalkeepers and the coaches is unique. They are unique, to be a goalkeeper you have to be unique, to be in that environment, you have to be unique.
“They are a lot of times, by themselves, they have to do a lot of individual practices: Kepa has raised the level, he has created a true great environment for everybody to shine and that's down to him.”