Arsenal boast one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers in David Raya, who has gone from strength to strength since arriving at the Emirates Stadium.
It hasn’t always been easy for Raya, who needed some time to find his feet at Arsenal after he replaced Aaron Ramsdale in between the sticks.
However, Raya has established himself as the undisputed No. 1 for Arsenal, and has kept an impressive 15 clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Now, former Gunners ace Petr Cech – one of the best goalkeepers of all time – has spoken about what he really likes about Raya.
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Petr Cech loves how Arsenal star David Raya ‘plays really fast’
Cech, speaking to Ben Foster on Amazon Prime Sports, noted how young goalkeepers tend to take their time in restarting the game.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea ace says he used to try to get the ball up the pitch as quickly as he could in order to launch successful counters.
Nowadays, keepers tend to place the ball on the ground and wait for everybody to set up – but Raya is one of the few who restarts quickly.
“I never see young goalkeepers now kick a long ball,” began Cech.
“You know how many times I got the cross and I get it straight in, throw – just throw, not even a kick – in the space and you go counter-attack.
“You don’t see it in modern football – all you see is the goalkeeper catching the ball, stepping six yards back, putting in there and waiting for everybody to set up.
“But by the time you set up, the opponent sets up and then you go again.
“I think I like that about David Raya, for example. He breaks lines, when he gets the ball, he has a chance, he plays fast.
“He’s one of the few who plays really fast. Ederson does it – when he sees the space he kicks it there, I think Emi Martinez does it.”
What David Raya’s relationship with Aaron Ramsdale was like
Ramsdale was seemingly ticking along nicely when Arsenal decided to bring Raya in on an initial loan deal – which then became a £27million deal – from Brentford.
Raya then dethroned Ramsdale as Arsenal’s number one, which led to criticism from some fans and pundits who felt the England international was hard done by.
For instance, John Hartson said of Ramsdale at the time: “If I was him, I would have been saying ‘you prefer another one to me, I’m good enough to play every week’.”
Raya recently said he never had a problem with Ramsdale despite the two having been competing for the same position.
“When I came I took the place, I never had a problem with Aaron and he never had a problem with me,” he said on the Seaman Says podcast.
“What I always say, and I’ll always say it, goalkeepers are so difficult because it’s one position.
“You work with your teammates every day, even before the players are coming out. If you’re not playing you need to ask two questions, am I giving it my best? Or is it the manager’s decision?
“If it’s the manager’s decision you can’t have a problem with your teammate, that will just make the group separated and the work will not be the same.
“If you have that good relationship you can push each other. I never had a problem with a teammate goalie-wise.”
