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‘It’s pathetic’: Pundit says he absolutely hates Arsenal signing 27-year-old this summer
Ben Foster has hit out at Mikel Arteta for signing David Raya for Arsenal this summer, describing the deal as pathetic and something that did not need to happen.
Foster was speaking on his following the opening goal the Gunners conceded in their weekend draw with Fulham which hardly saw Aaron Ramsdale cover himself in glory.
Of course, many will now be wondering whether David Raya will start for Arsenal in their next game. The Gunners surprised many by signing the Spaniard on loan in the summer.
It was always going to be fascinating to see how Mikel Arteta would handle his two goalkeepers. Initially, he stuck with Ramsdale. But perhaps some will be expecting a change to now be made.
Foster brands Arsenal signing David Raya pathetic
Andreas Pereira broke the deadlock inside the first minute on Saturday. Ramsdale was punished for being well off his line when Bukayo Saka gave the ball away. And he seemed to have little idea of where he was in relation to his goal as Pereira’s mishit shot found the bottom corner.
It would be harsh to say that it was a really big mistake from Ramsdale. However, with Raya now on the bench, some must be wondering whether Arteta will now be ruthless and make a change.
And that prompted Ben Foster to hit out at Arsenal for signing the Brentford man, insisting that it is doing Ramsdale absolutely no favours to have him as a rival.
“I hate it, it’s pathetic. It’s something that didn’t need to happen, right. They did not need to sign David Raya,” he told his .
“He’s been a top goalie for two years. He’s on the edge of being England’s number one with Jordan Pickford, he’s right there. When he’s full of confidence and he’s got a manager putting his arm around him, he’s as good as anyone in this country.”
Arteta has shown in the past that he can be ruthless with his goalkeepers. Bernd Leno actually did very little wrong before Ramsdale got his chance.
Leno did concede a number of goals at the start of that season. But he was arguably Arsenal’s best players in those first three games.
What may help Ramsdale is that Leno was not Arteta’s signing. So he may be more inclined to stick by Ramsdale.
But there is no question that signing Raya was a somewhat perplexing move that could easily backfire on Arsenal.