August 16, 2023
After hearing of our interest in bringing him to Emirates Stadium, David Raya revealed the opportunity to move was “a beautiful challenge” that he felt he couldn't possibly turn down.
The Spanish international goalkeeper has made a season-long switch from Brentford where he has impressed in the Premier League over the past couple of seasons, and after speaking to Mikel Arteta, he believes the time is right for him to try and showcase his abilities on a bigger stage.
“I'm over the moon to be able to take this challenge in my career and make the step up,” he said after putting pen to paper. “I'm really excited to get going and see how the season ends up. I spoke to the boss and he sent me the values of what Arsenal are about. The way that the club is going, it's growing even more so it is a beautiful challenge to take and I couldn't say no.
“I've seen Arsenal a lot for a lot of years and since [Mikel] came he's made a massive difference to the style of play and to the club. The way the team plays out of the back, being confident and taking possession to the other team is the main thing why I fit into the team. I'm going to try and help as much as possible and we'll see what happens.”
David will encounter one familiar face upon reporting to London Colney each day in our goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana, who worked with David during their time together at the Bees, and our new shot-stopper is excited that their partnership is back together.
Having seen his game improve under Inaki's tutelage following his switch from Blackburn Rovers to Brentford in the summer of 2019, he feels the familiarity will help him hit the ground running as he aims to quickly make an impression with his new teammates, on and off the field.
“Inaki is very demanding but he's a very good goalie coach,” the 27-year-old reflected. “He's always onto you but he only wants you to be the best. I felt so much better when I started training with him and in the space of six months, he changed my vision of a goalkeeper and the way I played back at Blackburn to how I played at Brentford. He was the first one to change my mindset to see different aspects of goalkeeping.
“I can't wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going. That's a tight group that we're always going to get along and push each other, so that's going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can't wait to get going and meet the lads.
“One of the challenges is to get used to the style and the patterns, and get to know the players as soon as possible to get that bond from the beginning. Knowing the players and the staff, I think they're going to put me in the right direction and I'll fit in straight away.”
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