Arsenal have had Brentford goalkeeper David Raya on their radar for a long time, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.
Writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Romano has provided the latest on Arsenal’s interest in Raya this summer, with the Spanish shot-stopper now seemingly a priority for the Gunners again, with Mikel Arteta a big fan of the player.
It seems Arsenal could be set to pursue Raya to provide competition for Aaron Ramsdale, rather than replacing him, and it will be interesting to see which one of those can come out on top in the battle to be the north London giants’ first choice.
“I’m told Arsenal’s interest in Raya is genuine – he’s been on their radar for years and they believe this is a big opportunity on the market,” Romano said.
“Arsenal have always appreciated him and Mikel Arteta is a big fan, but now it’ll be down to the clubs to reach an agreement.
“As for Aaron Ramsdale, my understanding is that the idea would be to create competition between Ramsdale and Raya – it’s not a case of replacing the England ‘keeper.”
Raya has shone in the Premier League and some fans may view him as an upgrade on Ramsdale, though there’s also no doubt that the England international has been a successful and popular figure at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta is clearly ruthless and demands perfection in every position, with Jurrien Timber also coming in this summer despite Ben White being such a key performer last season, while another in-form star, Thomas Partey, is also no longer guaranteed a place in the starting XI after the big signing of Declan Rice in midfield.
Why are Arsenal interested in a goal keeper from a lower team, who is not even their first choice goalkeeper? Why dont we go for a better option and bid for Brentfords number 1 goal keeper rather than their number 2.? I agree Ramsdale needs competition for his place but not an average number 2 goal keeper that would cost more than £10 million.