Thibaut Courtois believes Arsenal’s David Raya is currently one of the top-two goalkeepers in the world, excluding himself.
Speaking to the media this week, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois named his top-three goalkeepers in the world currently, including Arsenal’s David Raya in his top two.
“Best 3 goalkeepers in the world now? I will step aside,” Courtois laughed, before giving his top-three: “Oblak in 3rd, Alisson and David Raya.”
Despite having kept 11 clean sheets already this season, there’s still a sense that Raya is somewhat underrated as a goalkeeper in general.
A lot of the credit for those clean sheets seems to go to Arsenal’s defenders, or even to the team at large. That’s not unreasonable, considering how well the side generally defend as a unit, but Raya still regularly steps up in big moments with top saves.
Just as importantly as his shot-stopping, Raya is excellent at claiming crosses, with FBref putting him in the 95th percentile statistically.
The Spanish goalkeeper is also more than comfortable with the ball at his feet, helping Arsenal to escape pressure with his long passes or to retain possession by playing it short just as effectively.
There are very few weaknesses in Raya’s game, and it seems his fellow professional goalkeepers are recognising that just as keenly as his teammates.