Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal tried to sign David Raya long before the goalkeeper actually ended up joining the club, adding he’s very happy to have him now.
Arsenal officially signed David Raya from Wednesday’s opponents Brentford FC back in the summer of 2024, following a year on loan.
But if Mikel Arteta had his way, Raya would have joined the Gunners even earlier than that, with the Arsenal boss confirming that they tried to bring the Spanish goalkeeper to north London not long after Arteta first joined.
“He’s an amazing goalkeeper,” Arteta said. “It’s a great story as well, and how it happened because as well we tried to sign David [Raya] much earlier.
“I think it was as soon as I arrived, almost, and he had to wait for another two years. The start that he had and the journey that we had together I think it’s been phenomenal for us, and I’m very happy to have him.
“He’s certainly one that is taking us to a different level, and he’s certainly a player that has brought something different to our way of playing.”
Media reports from as long ago as 2020 confirm that Arsenal would ideally have liked to sign Raya much earlier than they did.
Back in September 2020, just nine months after Arteta’s arrival at the club, Arsenal showed interest and Raya’s agent told the media they’d “do what is necessary” to make the move happen.
But at that point Brentford were only interested if Arsenal would loan him back to them, which would mean the Gunners committing significant funds on a player who wouldn’t be available for them that season.
Raya signed a new contract with a release clause, but the clause would only apply if Brentford failed to achieve promotion. Brentford successfully made the step up to the Premier League, meaning Arsenal had to look elsewhere again in 2021.
Finally, in 2023, with Raya’s new deal running down, Arsenal managed to agree a loan with a purchase option. Considering the goalkeeper’s performances since then, it’s a shame it couldn’t have happened sooner.