David Raya is confident his arrival at Arsenal will provide “healthy” competition with Aaron Ramsdale.
The 27-year-old has completed his move to join the Gunners from Brentford on an initial £3m loan deal, with Arsenal having the option to make that a permanent deal next summer for £27m. Raya has signed a new two-year contract at Brentford at the same time.
It comes after Matt Turner joined Nottingham Forest, leaving Raya and Ramsdale as the two goalkeepers battling it out to be Mikel Arteta’s No1. Some pundits have questioned the wisdom of signing Raya, with Peter Schmeichel claiming it will create “insecurity” at the club.
However, Ramsdale has recently insisted that the increased competition would only benefit the team, with his new team-mate echoing those sentiments.
“I can’t wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going,” Raya told Arsenal’s official website.
“That’s a tight group that we’re always going to get along and push each other, so that’s going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can’t wait to get going and meet the lads.”
Brentford had previously slapped a £40m price tag on Raya, amid interest from the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United, but Arsenal have been able to negotiate that.
The Gunners’ goalkeeping coach, Inaki Cana, worked closely with Raya at Brentford and Arteta has long been an admirer of the goalkeeper, who is known for his ability with the ball at his feet.
“I’m over the moon to be able to take this challenge in my career and make the step up,” Raya said.
“I’m really excited to get going and see how the season ends up. I spoke to the boss and he sent me the values of what Arsenal are about. The way that the club is going, it’s growing even more so it is a beautiful challenge to take and I couldn’t say no.”
“I’ve seen Arsenal a lot for a lot of years and since [Mikel] came he’s made a massive difference to the style of play and to the club. The way the team plays out of the back, being confident and taking possession to the other team is the main thing why I fit into the team.
“I’m going to try and help as much as possible and we’ll see what happens.”
