Raya vs Ramsdale - Arteta can't escape decision amid claims from Arsenal legend
"I cannot have two players like this in one position and not play them. David [Raya] has tremendous qualities like Aaron [Ramsdale] has… but we have to use them."
Mikel Arteta insisted after Arsenal's 1-0 win at Everton that replacing a goalkeeper is just like any other player. To the Spaniard, rotating between the sticks merely “the same rationale” as replacing an outfield player.
Except it isn’t. It never has been. It never will be.
Peter Schmeichel, arguably the greatest goalkeeper the Premier League has ever seen, insisted before the season, when Raya arrived at the Emirates on loan from Brentford, that his signing “could be a problem”.
"The goalkeeper's position is very reactive - you cannot create anything on your own, you have to wait for things to happen,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live in August. “You're now asking your goalkeeper to prove he's better than the other one, that means you now have to go out and do stuff - and you don't want that.
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"It's the one position that you want to be steady. The worst thing is when a goalkeeper tries to do something and it goes wrong - every time it's a goal. You're much better having a No.1 who thinks he's a No.1 and he plays the game for the team."
Throw into the argument that Arsenal ’s goalkeeper coach, Inaki Cana, previously worked with Raya at Brentford, having played a major role in the Bees decision to take him there from Blackburn, and is a firm believer that he is among the best ‘keepers in the world. Arteta has admitted previously that he has a “big say” on who Arsenal target, sign, how they train and, ultimately, whether they are the answer long term.
David Raya has started each of the last two Arsenal games (Getty Images)For Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, the decision to sign Raya was a simple one.
"He sees David Raya as a guy that can win him the league,” said Henry after the midweek thrashing of PSV in the Champions League. “When he sold Bernd Leno, he saw Aaron Ramsdale as a guy that can help them get to the top four.
“He thinks he is the better goalkeeper - there is no rotation there. Arteta thinks David Raya is better and that's about it.”
Arteta himself continues, publicly, to refute suggestions that that is indeed the case. Despite bringing Raya in against Everton and sticking with him for the club’s first game back at European football’s top table in six years, he again kept his cards close to his chest when asked about the situation post-game and why Raya had again been given the nod.
"It's a belief that I had in the team I wanted to play against the expected opponent,” said the Gunners boss. "I made the other changes for the same reason."
However, as first reported by Mirror Football's John Cross, the ultimate goal is for Raya to become the club's undisputed No.1. Arteta thinks he is an upgrade, in much the same way as he saw Ramsdale as an upgrade on Bernd Leno two years ago.
Raya, who has a strong relationship with Ramsdale - “Aaron has been great; he is a great team-mate, a leader as well” - insists that he has no qualms over fighting for his place.
“I understand that and I think it is the first time that two top goalkeepers are in the same team so that is just part of football now,” he said. “The gaffer wants two top players for each position and that is what we have to work with.”
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He also won't be kicking up a fuss if he finds himself substituted during a match for tactical reasons, as Arteta has claimed he is open to doing.
“Those are his words. That is his choice as well. He is the gaffer, he is the boss so we would have to deal with that.”
Certainly it is Arteta’s decision to make.
But sticking with Raya or turning back to Ramsdale for this weekend’s visit of Tottenham will be telling. If Raya makes it three-in-a-row, then his seemingly inevitable taking of the No.1 spot will have happened much quicker than many predicted.
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