David Raya's rise to prominence has caught everyone off guard, or almost everyone. From a Championship goalkeeper to a serious PFA Player of the Year award contender, the Spaniard's stock has increased massively in recent years.
Many people raised their eyebrows in 2023 when Mikel Arteta decided Raya should be signed on loan from Brentford. The confusion came from the fact that Aaron Ramsdale had done an impressive job as the Gunners' number one in the previous season.
David Raya this season in Arsenal kit, and then David Raya in Blackburn Rovers kit Related
Why David Raya's Appearance is so Different Compared to 2018
Arsenal's number one has had a serious change in appearance in the past few years.
After a little bit of a battle in the early parts of the 2023-24 campaign, the ex-Blackburn Rovers man snatched the jersey from his fellow 'keeper and has never looked back. It became quickly apparent that he would be the long-term first-choice at the Emirates.
Peter Schmeichel's Surprising Take on David Raya in 2023
peter schmeichel ruben amorim
Raya, 30, is now one of the best goalkeepers in world football and is inching ever closer to becoming a Premier League champion. One of the division's greatest-ever shot-stoppers, Peter Schmeichel, wasn't convinced by his arrival at Arsenal.
It was a big debate at the time, with many believing the north Londoners didn't need another goalkeeper due to Ramsdale's performances. Schmiechel was firmly in that camp as he said on CBS Sports:
"I don’t get it, I don’t understand why you want to create a competition situation for goalkeepers. The one thing you want from your goalkeeper is stability."
He added: "So goalkeepers are playing a position which is very reactive, there’s no proactive action happening, everything you have to do is something you have to do when somebody else is doing something, you have to react to that, you can’t be proactive and go out and create a save for yourself."
Jamie Carragher Argued Back About Raya
Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
The Manchester United icon believed Arteta was 'creating a problem' for himself, as he claimed: "I don’t get this, I think it’s crazy and I think Arteta might just be creating a problem he didn’t need going forward."
Jamie Carragher, on the panel that evening, hit back at Schmeichel's claim: "I understand having two goalkeepers of a similar ability, I understand mentally it might be a problem for the goalkeeper."
Things got a bit tense with raised voices as the defender-turned-pundit continued: "But surely if Mikel Arteta thinks he can get a better goalkeeper in the building, he has to make that signing to make Arsenal a better team."
Schmeichel stuck to his guns that Ramsdale was the better player, asking his colleague: "Do you think Raya is a better goalkeeper than Ramsdale? Because I don't."
"100%. Arsenal will never win the league with Ramsdale in goal. No chance," was Carragher's emphatic response.