Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has had some difficult decision to make this season - not least the goalkeeping situation
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has revealed what his relationship with team-mate Aaron Ramsdale is like.
Since joining Arsenal from Brentford on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy, Raya has seemingly become Mikel Arteta's first-choice goalkeeper. Starting all six of the last six games he has been available for, Raya has ousted Ramsdale from the starting line-up, leading many to question the relationship between the two.
The Spanish 'keeper has tempered any tension between the pair, however, claiming that they both get on very well and work hard to make sure each other is playing to the best of their ability.
Raya has become the clear No.1 (Image credit: Getty Images)
“The relationship? It’s very good,” Raya told The Athletic. “At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems.
“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.”
Ramsdale has had to settle for a place on the bench recently (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite stating that there wouldn't be a clear No.1 when Raya joined Arsenal in August, Arteta has clearly made his preferred option known in the last couple of months.
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The 28-year-old has so far repaid that faith in him, too, keeping four clean sheets in six games as the Gunners look to compete in both the Premier League and Champions League this term.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
