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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal summer signing has settled in ‘exceptionally well’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Gunners summer signing David Raya for settling in “exceptionally well” at the Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal boss was speaking to the Gunners media team about the 28-year-old goalkeeper ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match.
Arsenal signed Raya on an initial loan deal from Brentford, with the option for the Gunners to buy him for £27million next summer.
The Spaniard has since dethroned Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s new first-choice in between the sticks, much like Ramsdale dethroned Bernd Leno in 2021.
Raya’s entire professional career to date has taken place in English football, and he has played in London since 2019, when he joined Brentford.
The Gunners ace has also made upwards of 60 Premier League appearances, plus a further 141 in the Championship.
Needless to say, Raya probably wouldn’t have needed much gelling-in time at a London-based Premier League club, and Arteta has now confirmed this.
Asked about how well Raya has settled in, quotes Arteta as saying: “Very good around the place with his team-mates.
“He knows London very well, he knows the way we play – he’s so used to that. He knows the league, so exceptionally well.”
Our view
Arteta’s pursuit of progress has been relentless, and he’s not been afraid to make ruthless decisions in face of criticism.
He didn’t relent when it came to freezing out the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Likewise, Arteta didn’t relent when it came to replacing Leno with Ramsdale, even though the German wasn’t doing badly.
And Arteta certainly didn’t relent when some of his signings – including the aforementioned Ramsdale – were met with a mixed or even negative reaction.
Arsenal currently sit one point off top spot in the Premier League, finished second last year, have a strong team and, arguably most crucially of all, there’s a solid and disciplined dressing-room atmosphere.
With regards to Arteta replacing Ramsdale, it may have been harsh on the latter, but the manager is very much an ‘ends justifies the means’ type of manager, and in the end, it’s about advancing Arsenal as a club.