David Raya insists he doesn’t know whether he’ll be in goal for the north London derby at the weekend, despite consecutive clean sheets.
David Raya signed for Arsenal on loan in the summer transfer window, with the Gunners having an option to buy in his contract.
The suggestions in the media were that Mikel Arteta didn’t plan to have a first-choice goalkeeper, and he’d rotate between the two, allowing them to compete for starts.
But after Raya came into the team and kept a clean sheet against Everton, he then remained in the side to keep another clean sheet against PSV Eindhoven, leading some to suggest he might be the new number one.
Speaking to the media after the game, Raya said he didn’t know whether he’d still be in the team against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
“That’s his (Arteta’s) choice, it’s not my choice,” Raya said. “When Aaron (Ramsdale) comes back in he needs to fight for the team and to win games.
“I think it’s the first time that two top goalies are in the same team, so that’s just part of football now. The gaffer wants two top players for each position and that’s what he’ll have to work with.
“Now, I’ve played the last two games, and I don’t know what’s going to happen on Sunday.”
Despite arriving from Brentford on loan, Raya will be eligible for both of Arsenal’s next two games, with Brentford granting the Gunners permission to use him in their League Cup clash next Wednesday.
Players are allowed to face their parent club in the League Cup as long as they get permission from the parent club.
But if Raya ends up starting against Spurs on Sunday, you’d imagine Ramsdale is actually more likely to play against Brentford in midweek.
One benefit of having two top goalkeepers ahead of the north London derby, in particular, is that Spurs won’t know which goalkeeper they’ll be facing until the weekend.
The away side may spend time preparing to exploit a perceived weakness in one goalkeeper’s game, only to end up facing the other.
That might only be a marginal benefit, but Arsenal will take all the advantages they can get ahead of a big derby game.