Thierry Henry believes David Raya should be in contention for the Player of the Season award, after another impressive display for Arsenal in midweek.
Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals may have seemed like a comfortable one, but it would have been a lot nervier if not for David Raya’s performance in goal.
Raya’s most notable stop came with not long remaining in the game, as he leapt to his right to deny Christian Kofane with an acrobatic save in the 87th minute. Arsenal were two goals ahead at the time, but conceding would have made for a very tense final seven minutes (including added time).
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was impressed by the save, and he suggested Raya is playing himself into Player of the Season contention.
“This guy, I think should be in contention to be Player of the Season,” Henry argued.
“What he does for Arsenal every single time, and it’s very difficult to see what a goalkeeper does sometimes, because he cannot make you win the game. [He] can (only) hope that you’re not losing it by making saves.
“But he does that (kind of save) two to three times every single game. It’s just outstanding.”
With 21 clean sheets and countless standout moments, it’s hard to argue with Henry’s assessment. Raya should absolutely be considered one of Arsenal’s key players this season.
It’s unlikely Raya will be in goal for Arsenal on Sunday though, with Mikel Arteta picking Kepa Arrizabalaga throughout the League Cup campaign so far.
Kepa earned his spot in the early rounds with clean sheets against Port Vale and Brighton and a penalty-shootout win over Crystal Palace, before helping Arsenal eliminate his former club Chelsea in the semi-finals.
The 31-year-old has also played every game in the FA Cup so far, clearly signalling that he’s the cup goalkeeper.
Manchester City will provide the sternest test yet, and some fans are calling for Raya to come back into the side given the Arsenal number one’s strong form. But it would be a surprise to see Kepa dropping out now.