Arteta elucidated why he chose to bring David Raya to Arsenal last summer

Arsenal's head coach, Mikel Arteta, explained why he decided to bring goalkeeper David Raya to the team last summer.

The 28-year-old Raya became an Arsenal player last summer, joining from Brentford on loan. This decision was met with mixed feelings by the Gunners' fans, as Aaron Ramsdale's position in goal was solid at the time.

"We wanted to improve in that position, bring different qualities to the goalkeeper position. The public reaction was mixed, yes... But if you want to get better, you need to raise the level and make tough decisions!" Arteta told BeIN.

However, the Spanish goalkeeper displaced Ramsdale from Arsenal's goal frame. Raya played 39 matches in all competitions, conceding 30 goals with 19 clean sheets.

Raya was awarded the Premier League Golden Glove for the 2023/24 season, which is given annually to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the English league. This season, David kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League.

It was previously reported that Arsenal had made a clear decision to buy out the goalkeeper's contract from Brentford. The deal is expected to be worth £27 million.