In the summer of 2021, Arsenal raised many eyebrows with the £30m signing of Sheffield United’s 23 year-old goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, a signing which was received in a sceptical by many Arsenal fans.
However, the fans that weren’t sure what the British keeper would bring, they were soon changing their thoughts as a poor start to the season saw Mikel Arteta drop then number one Bernd Leno in favour of Ramsdale at home vs Norwich City, as Arsenal desperately searched for their first three points of the 2021/22 campaign.
The Spaniard’s decision paid off, with Ramsdale putting in a strong performance both with his hands and his feet as he helped Arsenal to a vital 1-0 win to claim their first three points and clean sheet of the season. And almost two years on, Arsenal and Ramsdale haven’t looked back. The Englishman has put in some extremely strong performances in a Gunners shirt and has asserted himself as undistributed number one.
So, why does it seem that Arsenal’s fourth summer signing of the 2023 transfer window will be Brentford goalkeeper David Raya? Well, the Spanish stopper has impressed since being promoted with the West London club and has earned a reputation as being one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League outside the traditional ‘big six’ with his distribution with the ball at his feet in particular being lauded by fans and pundits alike. As well as representing himself as a strong leader, as he has captained The Bees on numerous occasions.
There’s no doubting Raya’s ability, and he would make an excellent option for Mikel Arteta. Having two goalkeeper’s not only of the quality of Ramsdale and Raya but who can also both play the way Arteta wants to play. Both keepers are excellent with the ball at their feet meaning if Ramsdale is injured Arsenal’s style of play doesn’t need to adapt due to Raya being in between the sticks.
Matt Turner looks close to a move to Nottingham Forest and despite the USA no.1 certainly being a safe pair of hands, the American lacks the supreme quality of Ramsdale and replacing him with Raya would represent a strong upgrade in the overall goalkeeping department as he nears closer to joining Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber in improving Arsenal’s squad as they look to mount another title challenge and prepare for the UEFA Champions League.