Arsenal’s summer signing David Raya has his say on Mikel Arteta starting him over his teammate Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal’s goalkeeping situation has been the talk of the town of late. Mikel Arteta has started their new signing David Raya in their last two fixtures ahead of the club’s regular number one Aaron Ramsdale. The 28-year-old has lived up to his manager’s expectations and has kept a clean sheet in both outings.
Following his back-to-back starts, Raya has opened up about him getting the nod ahead of the 25-year-old England international. The 28-year-old has sent out a message to his teammate stating that when he is back in the starting XI, he needs to make sure he is ready to help the team win.
The Spanish international on Arteta choosing him over Ramsadale via Fabrizio Romano: “That’s his choice, it’s not my choice”.
“When Aaron Ramsdale comes back in he needs to fight for the team and to win games”.
Ramsdale joined Arsenal back in the summer of 2021 and he has been a regular in their first team ever since. The 25-year-old has been involved in a total of 83 matches for the Gunners and he has kept a clean sheet in 30 of those outings.
The England international has been doing a great job in goal for Arteta’s team. Last season, he was involved in all 38 of their Premier League games and kept a clean sheet on 14 occasions. He played an important role in helping them push for the league title and qualify for the Champions League in the process.
The 25-year-old still has three years left on his deal at Arsenal and was expected to be their number one for years to come. However, things took a turn when the Gunners went hard to acquire the services of David Raya. They managed to strike a deal with Brentford for his services.
While it is an initial loan deal, there is an obligation to buy depending on certain conditions. Arsenal signing Raya sent out a clear signal that Ramsdale was no longer a guaranteed starter and he would have to fight for his place.
The England international started the initial five games of the season for Arsenal. But, Arteta then decided to give Raya his first start against Everton. The 28-year-old managed to put in an impressive shift and he was rewarded with another start this time in their Champions League opener against PSV Eindhoven.
