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‘Ridiculous’… ESPN pundit shocked Mikel Arteta didn’t sub off £30m Arsenal player off against Luton
Steve Nicol believes that Mikel Arteta is being made to look ridiculous by the form of David Raya after the goalkeeper endured a nightmare evening for Arsenal on Tuesday.
Nicol was speaking on after the Gunners needed a stoppage-time goal from Declan Rice to edge an amazing game at Kenilworth Road.
One of the major talking points following the victory was the performance of David Raya. The Spaniard is yet to really prove that he deserves the number one spot over Aaron Ramsdale.
Steve Nicol thinks Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya now needs to be dropped
And Tuesday proved to be another tough day at the office. Raya flapped at a corner for Luton’s second goal. And Ross Barkley’s strike went under him for the home side’s third. For some time, it appeared that he was set to cost Arsenal at least two points.
Of course, many have been baffled by how Arteta has treated Ramsdale. And there is now speculation that the England international could leave, with Ramsdale open to joining Newcastle.
Certainly, the signs will be ominous for Ramsdale if he does not now come into the team. Steve Nicol suggested that Raya has been too much of a liability for Arsenal to keep his place.
“The other thing is clearly the goalkeeper David Raya. This guy, as we stand, basically is making mistake after mistake every game, every game,” he told .
“Not now and again, but every game. Sometimes he gets away with it and today he didn’t get away with it. So, Mikel Arteta has got himself in a right pickle because with every game and with every mistake, it’s making the things that Arteta was saying about the goalkeeping situation ridiculous every single time it happens.
“And I’ve got to tell you, when the second goal went in, the first thing that came to my head was, OK then, you’ve tried to talk nonsense about substituting goalkeepers, and if ever there was a time to do what you said you wanted to do, now’s the time.
“The goalkeeper’s thrown two in and you’ve got according to you another number one sitting on the bench, so put him in, and he didn’t do it.”
Problem of Mikel Arteta’s own making
It will be fascinating to see who Arteta picks against Aston Villa on Saturday. Raya’s confidence has got to be low after two really poor errors.
Meanwhile, Ramsdale looked incredibly rusty when he got the chance to start against Brentford recently. He was fortunate to not cost Arsenal a goal.
So Arteta has seemingly backed himself into a corner. If he picks the loanee again and another mistake is made, Arsenal fans will be furious.
But if he opts for Ramsdale, he may feel as though he is admitting that he was wrong to make the change in the first place. He also needs to give the 25-year-old time to get up to speed after such a frustrating few months.
It seems to be a tough position for the Arsenal boss to be in. But no-one else is responsible for causing it.