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ESPN pundit says £30m Arsenal star will disagree with what Arteta’s said about him
Nedum Onuoha has responded to Mikel Arteta praising the form of David Raya as Arsenal fans continue to ask questions of the Spanish goalkeeper.
Onuoha was speaking on as the Gunners prepare for their huge clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, with the pair flying high in the Premier League right now.
Arsenal, of course, lead the way in the top-flight. However, the Gunners are yet to hit top gear. And one of the reasons for that has been the form of David Raya between the sticks.
Nedum Onuoha not buying what Mikel Arteta said about David Raya
Raya has struggled to vindicate Mikel Arteta‘s decision to drop Aaron Ramsdale earlier in the campaign. And the goalkeeper’s most concerning performance yet came in midweek as Arsenal beat Luton Town 4-3 at Kenilworth Road.
Raya made two big mistakes against Luton, very nearly costing the side two points. Nevertheless, it seems that Arteta is not unhappy with how his summer signing has been playing.
Arteta praised Raya’s form ahead of the trip to Villa Park, claiming that he had been really impressive (via ). Unsurprisingly, plenty of pundits seem to have taken exception with the boss’ comments, with Onuoha noting that no-one has been convinced by the praise.
“I think Arteta tries to be overall very positive with his players. He was very positive at the start of the season with Havertz when he was receiving a ton of criticism as well. But this Raya situation, the highlights you’ve just put up, we’ve just seen him make two huge mistakes. So for somebody to say your form is really impressive, it’s like well did that happen then? It’s almost as if he’s trying to gaslight you into believing that everything’s alright and everything’s rosy,” he told .
“I think even Raya himself will know that his form’s not been impressive, because if this is his standard, then he’s probably not good enough to be at Arsenal. And I’m sure he knows that he can play better. So I think from Arteta, I don’t know who he’s trying to say that to, whether he’s trying to convince himself. But really, nobody’s buying that.”
Arsenal boss facing making a gamble whichever goalkeeper he picks
Arteta is taking a gamble whichever goalkeeper he opts for against Villa. Ultimately, if he sticks with Raya and he makes another costly mistake, Arsenal fans will be absolutely furious that he has been allowed to keep his place.
That is particularly the case when you consider that Ramsdale seemingly did little wrong to lose his.
But Ramsdale was not convincing when he came in against Brentford with Raya ineligible. So asking him to come in against Villa would be a big ask when he has no momentum behind him. It would also do the back four few favours to make another change.