Jamie Carragher has been critical of Arsenal’s transfer strategy in the past, but believes one player in particular has taken the club to new heights.
Spending just under £700m since arriving at the club in 2019, Mikel Arteta has often been criticised for failing to win the Premier League despite coming so close on a few occasions.
Arteta has recognised that trophies are essential next season given the money they have spent, with players like Declan Rice, who has excelled this campaign, a key cog in his potential winning machine.
However, despite arriving for a club-record fee of £105m, it is another player that Jamie Carragher believes has taken Arsenal to a new level.
Jamie Carragher praises David Raya transfer
Originally joining on loan from Brentford, David Raya’s move to Arsenal raised many eyebrows due to the fact they already had Aaron Ramsdale as their first choice, although Carragher believes that this is the signing that propelled Arsenal forward.
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, when deciding on their goalkeeper of the season, the former Liverpool player said: “I was very close to picking Raya as he’s had five or six saves throughout the season, there was one against Aston Villa and because it was literally second game of the season, it feels like last season.
“That was one of the best decisions Mikel Arteta made, it was brave at the time because Aaron Ramsdale was a bit of a fans’ favourite, but Arsenal were never going to win anything big with him in goal.
“They haven’t done that with Raya yet either by the way, but it was a good decision.”
The goalkeeper made the permanent switch to the Gunners last summer for £27m, and has been their number one ever since.
How has David Raya performed this season?
With Ramsdale no longer at the club, Raya is their nailed-on first choice between the sticks and has made the position his own throughout the season.
| Appearances | 37 |
| Clean Sheets | 13 |
| Saves | 85 |
| High Claims | 49 |
| Errors Leading to Goal | 0 |
As well as having the ability to play out from the back, his shot-stopping ability is among the best in the league and he is currently joint-top with Nottingham Forest’s Mats Sels in the race for the Golden Glove, with both ‘keepers on 13 clean sheets.
Despite all the big money signings that Arteta has made during his six seasons in charge, it is hard to look past the impact that Raya has had on the team, but will they kick on next season and win their first Premier League title for what will be 22 years?
The post Forget Declan Rice, Jamie Carragher thinks this ‘brave’ Mikel Arteta signing has taken the club to the next level appeared first on HITC.
