Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has appeared on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with Arsenal the latest to show interest.
But despite Gunners fans not foreseeing current no.1 Aaron Ramsdale losing his place, last season’s stats show Raya could well challenge him.
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Raya had made it clear he was keen to move on from the club he’s made 161 appearances for at the end of last season, turning down new lucrative deals from the west London outfit.
The Spaniard had originally attracted interest from Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham, with current goalkeeper Hugo Lloris revealing his intention to leave.
However, Ange Postecoglou opted to sign Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli instead, with Raya’s £40m price tag believed to be the sticking point.
Chelsea also had him on their radar and Bayern Munich have thrown their hat in the ring too as they look to fill injured Manuel Neuer’s place, and talkSPORT understands the Bundesliga giants have been in dialogue with the Bees.
Now, Arsenal are interested in him. It’s possible Arteta could see Raya providing some healthy competition for Ramsdale.
That’s a theory talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested, despite him believing the Bees man is actually an upgrade.
“I think Raya is a better keeper,” the Aston Villa legend told talkSPORT Breakfast. “You know when you watched him at Brentford, some of the saves, playing from the back as well he’s so good.”
He continued: “But if you’re Ramsdale, you’re like ‘oh’. A couple of keepers and now you’re looking to replace me. He wasn’t bad last season or am I missing certain games?
“How many teams in the Premier League do you see with two top keepers? You don’t. Look at my club Aston Villa, I’m not keen on our no.2 and you’ve got Liverpool, you’ve got Manchester United, teams don’t really have two top, top keepers.
“So if [Mikel Arteta] wants to go down that route, I understand it. You put pressure on Ramsdale, you know, a couple of mistakes you’re out like in other parts of the field.
“Centre-halves, wingers, if you’re not having a good game in the top teams you’ve got someone that can take your place in Arsenal’s squad now. You’ve got players that can really push you.
He added: “Neither of them is going to accept playing the Carabao Cup for instance and playing the odd Premier League game when one is being rotated. I’m interested to see.”
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But whatever Arteta’s plan may be if Raya does sign, do last season’s stats suggest Raya could give Ramsdale a run for his money? talkSPORT.com takes a look.
Ramsdale vs Raya – Premier League 2022/23
In Ramsdale’s 38 appearances in the league last term, the Gunners glovesman kept 14 clean sheets as he helped his side finish second in the league.
But, despite Brentford finishing seven places below them, Raya kept 12 clean sheets in the same number of games, just two behind the Gunners man.
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Ramsdale also conceded less goals, letting in 42 compared to Raya’s 46, and he also boasts better passing accuracy, pulling off 63 per cent whilst Raya did so 61 per cent of the time.
He also trumps Raya when it comes to clearances, making 34 compared to Raya’s 20.
The pair couldn’t be separated when it comes to penalty saves, with both keepers saving zero of the ones they faced. However, Raya only faced a spot kick twice, whereas Ramsdale had five opportunities.
But Raya does have a number of areas he bettered the England international in.
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The Bees star has a higher save percentage of 77 per cent compared to Ramsdale’s 69, and has also made 51 catches with Ramsdale making 17.
Most notably, Raya’s number of successful distributions is far higher than Ramsdale’s – hence Agbonlahor’s reference to him helping Brentford play out from the back.
Raya may not have beaten Ramsdale in every stat, and vice versa.
But given Raya has achieved what he has playing for a side that have only been in the Premier League for two seasons, he may well be hot on the Arsenal man’s heels should he sign this summer.
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