David Raya initially rejected the option to leave Brentford on loan after extending his contract, but he made an exception for Arsenal.

Before joining Arsenal, David Raya had the option to move to Bayern Munich. The Athletic report that the German club held positive negotiations with Brentford, but the deal ultimately fell through.

Bayern wanted a loan, and Brentford would only allow that if Raya would sign a new contract first. The goalkeeper didn’t want to do that, so the transfer didn’t happen.

Yet in the end, Raya joined Arsenal on loan, and he extended his contract with Brentford, the very deal he was unwilling to do when Bayern came calling.

According to The Athletic, Raya had been sold on Arsenal’s project for years, ever since they first came in for him in 2020.

North London was always his preferred destination, and he was willing to make an exception and extend his Brentford contract for the Gunners in a way he wasn’t willing to do for Bayern.

Arsenal ended up signing Raya on an initial loan deal, with an option to buy set at £27m.

The goalkeeper is set to wear the number 22 in matches for his new side, with Aaron Ramsdale holding onto the number one and Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson keeping 13 – another popular number for goalkeepers.

Matt Turner took the number 30 last season, even though Rúnarsson was out on loan at the time. The Icelandic goalkeeper has been heavily linked with an exit, but he remains at the club for now.