Reducing tension in Arsenal’s goalkeeping department has undoubtedly been beneficial.
Charles Watts said Raya was not at his best due to the Ramsdale battle and the situation, as some felt the Englishman was unfairly dropped after two great seasons at the Emirates Stadium.
On his Inside Arsenal YouTube channel, Watts said: “His [Raya’s] fantastic start to the season that he is enjoying, obviously, he’s firmly established at Arsenal now as the No. 1. I think we are just going to see him improve, improve, improve.
“I honestly felt we wouldn’t see the best of David Raya until Aaron Ramsdale departed. Just because of that whole situation, I don’t think it helped either ‘keeper. I don’t think it helped Aaron Ramsdale when he came in for the few appearances he got.
“I don’t think either ‘keeper was able to play at their very best, until one of them went.”
Watts claims are accurate; once the England international was removed from the equation, Raya performed admirably. The ex-Brentford star has been a source of joy for the Gunners this new season, as evidenced by his superior goalkeeping in wins over Wolves and Aston Villa, as well as a draw against Brighton. The Gunners would have easily lost those games if Raya had not made the unfathomable saves. He makes saves with surety, and his forward passes are precise and confident.
From the start of the season until now, he has shown no signs of neglect, loss of alertness, or lack of concentration, whether for Arsenal or the national team! Surely, no one can complain about David Raya’s number one status anymore.
Daniel O
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I didn’t complain about his #1 status per se, I complained about him being brought in to begin with and that opinion hasn’t changed. That said, it was MA’s decision to make and, as with all players, while not immune to critique, he has my support if he’s on the pitch regardless of whether he started this season with great saves or not.
I’m not that convinced by the argument. After all, Raya was clearly first choice keeper last season – Ramsdale played only 6 EPL games and a total of 11 in all competitions across 2023-24. Raya also played pretty well last season anyway with most clean sheets etc., even with Ramsdale “lurking” in the background.
Raya has certainly done well this season so far as the article says, but who really knows the reason(s)? It could be because Ramsdale isn’t at the club as suggested, or Raya’s continuing development as a keeper or, even, an early run of particularly good form by him. As long as it continues, I’m not particularly fussed.
👍 Bertie
Ramsdale is several inches taller and that makes a difference with goalkeepers. Raga struggles with heigh balls. Big mistake I’m afraid, will cost them the title.
Not always though. I think you’ll find that Gordon Banks was the same height as Raya (1.83m) and he’s still considered one of the best keepers England has produced.
As with other things in life, I suspect it’s not necessarily what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it that matters.