Mikel Arteta explains why Arsenal signed David Raya

Despite the presence of Aaron Ramsdale, the Arsenal boss insists he doesn’t have a No. 1 in mind. So, what’s the deal?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spilled the beans on his decision to bring David Raya on board from Brentford.

Raya has joined Arsenal on a season-long loan deal with an option to sign permanently next summer. He will rival Ramsdale after the Gunners goalkeeper’s former deputy, Matt Turner, moved to Nottingham Forest.

“He has all the qualities that we need for our game model. It’s very simple, we want two players per position,” Arteta said of signing Raya.

Referring to Arsenal and Real Madrid’s recent injury mishaps, Arteta continued: “You see what happened to Jurrien [Timber]. That could happen to our goalkeeper. It recently happened to [Real Madrid’s] Thibaut Courtois, so we have to be prepared.”

Arteta also dismissed suggestions Raya will displace Ramsdale as Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper. He’s all about having options and ensuring that each player can perform at their best.

Furthermore, Arteta insisted that he doesn’t have a number-one in any position – let alone in goal.

“There is nothing wrong,” he added.

“We have two great left-wingers, two great strikers, and two great holding midfielders. That’s not a problem, so this shouldn’t be a problem either.”

Arsenal kicked off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign in style with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend. Now, all eyes are on their upcoming London derby against Crystal Palace on Monday night. Will Raya or Ramsdale get the nod? Only time will tell…