Arsenal star tipped to ‘cost’ Arteta’s side the ‘Prem title’; Neville claims he’s desperate for ‘help’
Gary Neville is concerned about Arsenal summer signing David Raya, who has been tipped to “cost” Mikel Arteta’s side the Premier League title.
Raya – who is currently ranked as the tenth-best ‘keeper in the Premier League – joining Arsenal was one of the surprise transfers during the recent summer window.
The Spaniard attracted the attention of clubs around Europe as he was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich were all linked with the Brentford shot-stopper, who ended up joining Arsenal on loan. The Gunners have the option to sign him permanently for around £27m next year.
The Gunners already have Aaron Ramsdale at their disposal and the England international has barely put a foot wrong in recent seasons.
Despite this, Raya has quickly dislodged him to become Arsenal’s new first-choice goalkeeper. He has come under fire during the early stages of this season as he has already made a couple of mistakes.
Raya is usually great with the ball at his feet but he has been caught out a few times in recent games and he was lobbed by Mykhaylo Mudryk for Chelsea’s second goal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Broadcaster Richard Keys subsequently claimed that Raya could end up “costing Arsenal the title this season”.
“David Raya will end up costing Arsenal the title this season,” Keys tweeted. “There is no way he’s an upgrade on Ramsdale.”
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Gary Neville meanwhile thinks Raya was desperate for “help” during Arsenal’s draw against Chelsea over the weekend.
“David Raya started his Arsenal career well but then he had a poor Champions League game [against Lens] followed by that first half against Manchester City. Now, this game. It’s getting hot for him. He’s got that look on his face like, ‘help’,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“It’s the toughest position to play and certainly when you’re at one of the biggest clubs in the league, you’re under the most amount of scrutiny – particularly if you’re a goalkeeper. Mikel Arteta has created that, let’s be clear with the Ramsdale and Raya situation.
“It’s unusual but he says it can work. I’ve never believed it could, and I believe we’re seeing in front of our eyes the challenges that exists because now, there is going to be pressure. Raya has now started to make mistakes.”
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