David Raya has insisted that he has a good relationship with Arsenal rival Aaron Ramsdale, going as far as to saying they are ‘mates’.
Ramsdale became the Gunners’ starting goalkeeper during the second month of the 2021/22 season, displacing Bernd Leno after joining from Sheffield United that summer.
For two years, the England international proved to be a reliable, if slightly erratic, choice between the sticks for Arsenal, which is why eyebrows were raised when they pursued Raya.
Arsenal managed to sign Raya from Brentford for an initial £3m loan with the option to make the deal permanent for £27m next year.
Like Ramsdale, Raya remained on the bench until after the first international break of the season, making his debut in September away at Everton and starting every match since.
Manager Mikel Arteta has insisted that he does not have a permanent number one and could even change his goalkeeper mid-match, though it seems Raya is the preferred option for the time being.
In an interview with The Athletic, Raya was asked about what his relationship with Ramsdale is like.
“It’s very good. At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems,” Raya said.
“We push each other every day in training: when he’s a little bit down, I push him, and when I’m a little bit down (he does the same). We train three goalkeepers, four at the most, for hours a week, and you need that kind of relationship because otherwise, the training is not going to go well.
“I don’t like to look to the future, I like to look at the day-to-day…but the perfect end would be to win a title with Arsenal, to be called up to the national team for the European Championship, and to have a good tournament.”
Though his immediate future appears to be at Arsenal and there’s a wide acceptance they will trigger his purchase clause, Raya did not rule out a move to Spain later in his career having never played club football in his home country before.
“Right now, I don’t have it in mind. Would I like to play in La Liga? Yes, of course…but at the moment I’m at Arsenal, I’m very happy, and we’ll see what happens in the next few years,” he added.
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