David Raya has reportedly signed a new contract with Arsenal, though he hasn’t extended the length of his deal.
Sami Mokbel reports for the BBC that Arsenal have handed David Raya a new contract, improving his salary after reaching an agreement over the summer.
Though Arsenal haven’t officially announced the new deal, it seems it’s already been done. Perhaps the reason behind the lack of confirmation from the club is that Raya’s contract length reportedly remains the same, with his deal expiring in 2028 and an option to extend beyond that.
Raya was already earning £100,000 a week at Arsenal, but his wages have now increased beyond that.
The new contract is very similar to the one signed by Leandro Trossard, with the winger also receiving a pay rise despite not extending the length of his deal.
Mikel Arteta effectively confirmed that new contract, but Arsenal never released an official statement on the deal, just as in Raya’s case.
Per the Premier League rules, a pay upgrade without a contract extension is only possible until the season gets underway, so both Trossard and Raya must have signed their new contracts before Arsenal’s game against Manchester United in August.
But with the club choosing not to confirm the new contracts, it’s taken a while for the agreements to leak out to the media.
30-year-old Raya is currently proving one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and he’s a key part of Arsenal maintaining the best defensive record in the Premier League for multiple seasons now.
The Spaniard has made nine appearances for Arsenal this season, keeping six clean sheets. Only Nick Pope (five) has more than Raya’s four in the Premier League, and no one has more than his two so far in the Champions League.