Arteta foresaw criticism for Ramsdale-Raya change at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal strategist, has acknowledged that he anticipated a negative reaction in England when deciding to relegate Aaron Ramsdale and give the starting position to David Raya, who is preparing for his 100th match with the club.Ramsdale, who joined Arsenal in 2021 and had an outstanding performance, even winning the Goalkeeper of the Year award at the London Football Awards two years later, was replaced by Raya. Initially, Raya arrived on loan from Brentford in 2023, before finalizing his transfer permanently a year later.Ramsdale subsequently moved to Southampton, while Raya has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. He has kept a clean sheet on 41 occasions in 99 matches and has won the division’s Golden Glove in consecutive seasons, sharing last season’s award with Matz Sels of Nottingham Forest.

His record is incredible. I was criticized when I brought him. That also gives perspective. It’s very good to understand the game, especially when a few months or years pass. It’s really good to look back and reflect on that.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta explained that he was aware of the reaction that this decision would generate. “I knew this country and I knew what I was doing. I understood the context. If he had been a Serbian player, the conversation would have been different, for sure. He was someone very loved, with a special character and an England international. That had many ingredients to become a great debate.”

Raya’s ability to play from defense was seen as a key characteristic, although the Spaniard had to overcome a difficult period in which many Arsenal fans expressed their nervousness about his distribution in his early days at the Emirates Stadium.Arteta added: “I knew he had the courage, first of all, to face that situation because it’s not easy when you come to a bigger club and for him it was a step forward. We believed he was the right goalkeeper to give us something more as a team.”