The latest on the Gunners' pursuit of David Raya comes courtesy of transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to issue an update on his future, Mikel Arteta's interest, and his protracted price tag.
"Understand Arsenal have made contact with David Raya’s camp to start talks on salary — as player prefers Arsenal over Bayern as destination. Discussions are taking place, no issues with Raya but key point will be between clubs as Brentford always insisted on £40m fee."
FootballTransfers suggest that the touted sum is far from what he is worth though, only valuing the Brentford number one at €11.8m (£10m).
How good is David Raya?
To bring in such a stellar ball-playing shot-stopper would be to bolster a backline already adept at playing out from the back. After all, it is a facet that underpins Arteta's whole philosophy, and without it, his system would be rendered useless.
As such, much of his squad has been cultivated with that in mind, nursing youngsters into that mould, and signing stars who can seamlessly fit in.
William Saliba marked a blend of the two, as he joined in 2019 for a mouth-watering £27m fee, but was subsequently sent back to France on loan for the years following before enjoying his breakthrough year most recently.
Having been turned into the perfect centre-back for such a system, the 22-year-old returned to the Emirates and featured heavily before a back injury cut short his superb season early.
Prior to it, he had maintained a 6.96 average rating in the Premier League, buoyed by his 91% pass accuracy, 90% dribble success, 1.3 tackles and three clearances per game, via Sofascore. He sat within the top ten performers at the club in what was essentially his debut term, with his clearances per game the second-best too.
These were figures that obviously reverberated across the continent, as when compared to others in his role across Europe he ranks in the top 7% for pass completion per 90.The youngster is supremely confident on the ball, and was lauded for such an asset by pundit Jermaine Jenas: "But I have to give it to William Saliba because he’s really impressed me. He’s commanded things from the back and been assured on the ball. He’s a different class, he’s been in different gear all game really."
To pair such quality in possession with the safety Raya would provide, these two could strike up one of the finest ball-playing centre-back-to-goalkeeper partnerships.
After all, Jurgen Klopp suggested that the 27-year-old ace might be better "wearing the No 10 shirt" due to his passing range. Not to mention he paired that with 4.1 saves per game last season in the league, at a 77% success rate. Despite making the most saves, his Bees side still maintained the fifth-best defence in the division.
In fact, when compared to others in his position across Europe, he sits in the top 6% for touches per 90, whilst posting an admirably 61% pass accuracy in the league.
Thomas Frank sought to supplement his compatriot's claims back in 2021, noting:
"David Raya has been one of our top three performers this season. He has been spotless. I’m biased, but I think he’s a really good goalkeeper."
Perhaps now he could take that next step up, to both star for the Gunners and help bolster a defence where progressing the ball sits above all else
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