Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has joined Arsenal on a season-long loan for a fee of £3 million.
It had been widely reported that the Gunners would sign the Spain international on a permanent deal worth up to £30 million but as negotiations got underway all parties decided a loan was feasible, so long as Raya signed a year-long contract extension at the Community Stadium.
The 27-year-old was due to be a free agent next summer, however, that has now been pushed back to 2025. Arsenal retain an option to buy the player at the end of the campaign and the expectation is that they will do so if this year is deemed a success.
Raya arrives to provide competition to Aaron Ramsdale following Matt Turner’s move to Nottingham Forest and will count as a homegrown player having moved to Blackburn Rovers as a teenager.
Since arriving in England, he’s patiently worked his way up the football pyramid to become one of the most sought-after keepers in Europe.
Raya arrives 🧤 pic.twitter.com/2UaPiDDp33
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 15, 2023
His first real taste of senior football came on loan to National League side Southport in 2014/15 and he then spent a couple of years waiting in the wings at Ewood Park before helping Rovers to promotion to the Championship in 2017/18. Two years later he moved to Brentford where he’s been a regular for four years.
According to Opta data, Raya faced the most shots, made the most saves, claimed the second-most crosses, made more touches and completed the most passes out of all the other Premier League keepers last season.
Raya’s ability to play from the back is thought to be the quality that most attracted Mikel Arteta. It’s unclear whether any promises have been made on the game time front but with Arsenal facing a hectic schedule fighting for silverware across four competitions, minutes are bound to come his way.
Raya has been handed the number 22 squad number and will be available for next Monday’s match at Crystal Palace having already begun training with his new teammates.
Can he play as an Inverted centre back?
Still gutted for Timber.
:'(
I know, right?
When you go up against City, you really need the gods to look favourably upon you. We kept saying, What if Haaland gets injured? What if Rodri gets injured?
So to get one of our boys out for the season is just such a tough one to take. It’s really taken the wind out of my sails.
Me too.
I haven’t been myself since Saturday.
I am really so sad for him and Arsenal.
Such a promising start from Timber cut short within 50 minutes of game in his first competitive action for his new club.
Cheers, Bro. Life gets you down but you get up and dust
yourself and keep going. Life is tough but we always prevail.
I check Arsenal website a couple of hours ago and there was no official confirmation. Hope it is much less serious than we thought.
Good luck to the lad, great keeper but I love Ramsdale so let’s hope this drives him to a new level
Work hard boys!
It makes no sense as it has no effect on Raya’s position but Timber’s injury somehow deflates a lot of the positive feelings I had about his arrival… adding a top keeper when you already have one feels so secondary when you’ve just lost someone of Timber’s quality… :/
Probably just an emotional spur of the moment reaction though… welcome to Arsenal sir. I’m sure there will be a point in the season where we’ll be overjoyed about bring him in.
Look, Timber’s injury sucks bigtime, but the reason we improved the squad depth and strength of that depth is for exactly this reason. To cope with injuries. Exactly why we’re bringing in another top class GK.
We still have Zinny, Tomi, and Tierney (I’d expect he stays now) and maybe Kiwior at LB
Gabriel, Saliba, White, Kiwior, Tomi, Tierney at CB
White, Partey, Tomi at RB.
We’re dam solid at the back. Obviously would prefer this didn’t happen like everyone, but we’re much better prepared for something like this.
Absolutely, city have just confirmed De-Bryune out for 4 months. We have to deal with it. How lucky are United. Wolves were so much better and then var don’t give the most blatant penalty. Can’t help feel if that was at the other end, the ref gives it and var don’t overturn it. Cxxts
You think we’re solid at LB? I don’t. Zinny is always injured and and better in midfield, tierney can’t even make the squad these days, Tomi, a RB, is always injured and not good at LB anyway and Kiwior is absolutely unproven at LB. Oh and we just lost timber for the season. I say we’re anything but solid at LB…
He always looks sad
It’s called Blue Steel
He’ll be alright with Gabi Jesus then! I often think he looks on the verge of tears. I think it’s just the natural shape of their eyebrows
I’ve got a cat like this. She just looks kinda sad/grumpy all the time.
Wasn’t sure if I was watching his intro video or an advert for stranger things. Either way good luck to the lad, he’s got a hell of a job on his hands getting the gloves off Ramsdale 💪
A David in goal for Arsenal is always a good thing I say.
If we didn’t love Ramsdale (the keeper and the person) as much as we do, we’d all be chuffed with this deal. Let’s hope they’re both champions in May anyway!
Welcome, David🎉🎊!! I ReAllY ‘A’ hope that you have an excellent season with The Arsenal!
This makes sense from Arsenal Ltd point of view.
MA is part of the newest generation of manager, and is aware that players have a lot of power when they are in the last years of their contracts, expecially when they feel that they are irreplaceable. Having competition for all positions is good to improve standards, to ensure squad depth, but also to limit players’ power.
Great signing. I say start him as soon as possible, no need to wait for the occasional Ramsdale mistake. Ramsdale will be a good back up, he is younger and he will get better. Raya right now is a better keeper than Ramsdale according to literally every metric.
Need to think through the metrics. He is the keeper who faced the most shots, so he should be the one who made the most saves and claimed most crosses, no ?
I think he’s a good signing, but I don’t think him ahead of Ramsdale. He may or may not be, to be decided on future performances in front of the Arsenal back 4. But I don’t think Brentford stats up to now are a reliable indicator
Gk metrics mean nothing.
Great.
Now let’s get some quality cover in for Timber.
I support any player turning out for Arsenal and welcome David, although it’s a strange feeling when I like Aaron so much.
I’m wondering if Matt Turner wanting more football, or the goalkeeping coach being friends with Raya are driving this one?
I hope he’s a Raya sunshine.
Even with the loan arrangement, it’s hard to shake the feeling that he’s been signed as a replacement. Ramsdale’s young in goalkeeping years so maybe Raya supplants him by the end of the year, stays first choice for another year or two (after signing a contract with us), and then make a big move to Spain and Ramsdale resumes as first choice. Or maybe Ramsdale doesn’t like that and leaves. Or maybe he fights for and retains his place. Such an intriguing signing.
Can he play LB also? Arteta loves versatility, doesn’t he?
He’ll play in goal, but he’ll be on the team sheet as a striker playing inverted.
Arteta was feeling self conscious about all the “Lego hair” slurs so he went and bought himself a guy with a drawn on beard to deflect the heat.
Raya is here to take Ramsdale’s job, but Ramsdale won’t go down without a fight. Ramsdale might even come out tops in this Hell in a Cell match up. Arteta, anyway, is loving it all. Just like a Roman Emperor watching with relish gladiators tear themselves to pieces in an amphitheatre. It’s guaranteed to be bloody- may the best man win.
I am a little bit surprised about the general consensus that Ramsdale will keep the no.1 spot. I think this is ruthless Arteta at his top self. Raya is a better goalkeeper and I totally expect him to take the spot.
Great piece of business—Ramsdale wasn’t going to play 80 games this year; Turner wasn’t going to win us the PL or the CL backing up Ramsdale; so we get a great keeper who can push the current #1; if the new guy is better, we can keep him and upgrade a vital position; and Turner gets a starting job.