Goalkeeper David Raya was one of four major signings the Gunners made last summer as they looked to build on an impressive 2022/23 season, which saw them finish as runners up in the Premier League. That proved a hugely controversial decision both in the media and among the Gunners' fan base as Ramsdale was a popular figure at the club who had been expected to remain as Arsenal’s No.1 for a decade to come.
Arsenal signed Raya on loan from Brentford for an initial £3million, plus a £27m option to make it permanent, on August 15. But the decision also sparked divisions among the Arsenal staff, with assistant coach Steve Round being one of those against the transfer, according to The Athletic.
Round, who first coached Arteta as an assistant to David Moyes at Everton and joined the north Londoners in 2019, was the manager’s most trusted lieutenant along with Albert Stuivenberg. Yet he took issue with their approach for Raya, feeling that replacing Englishman Ramsdale would disrupt Arsenal’s carefully cultivated culture due to his popularity among the staff and players.
He also believed that the club were better off spending in other positions instead of allocating more resources to the goalkeeping department, as Ramsdale had signed a fresh deal just months earlier. But Arteta’s decision reigned supreme in the end.
The disagreement reportedly played a role in Round parting ways with Arsenal, with news of his departure by 'mutual agreement' being announced in July 2023, before Raya was even signed. It is understood that this sent a strong message to the rest of Arteta’s staff that the Gunners were always looking for creative solutions and would look to improve even if it was by the smallest of margins.
Arteta promoted coaching prodigy Carlos Cuesta, 28. The highly-rated Mallorcan, who speaks six languages, has become an increasingly influential figure at London Colney, even showing off his coaching chops in Amazon Prime’s ‘All or Nothing’ 2022 documentary.
Cuesta’s promotion was also to show Arteta’s younger staff that there was a pathway for them to ascend up the ranks with Arsenal.
After Raya’s arrival, Arteta caused a stir when he stated in a press conference that he would look at potentially substituting goalkeepers during games when needed. The Spanish stop-stopper made his debut against Everton before ousting Ramsdale completely for the No.1 spot by September 17.
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