£27m Arsenal player is sneakily becoming one of the all-time Premier League greats
When Mikel Arteta signed David Raya from Brentford in 2023, the move raised eyebrows.
Not only was Aaron Ramsdale a popular figure, he had also just been named in the PFA Team of the Year, and was contracted long-term.
Arteta brought Raya in and made him first choice right away, and not everyone was convinced it was the right call.
It’s fair to say that call has been firmly vindicated. Three seasons at Arsenal, three Premier League Golden Gloves.
The Spaniard has been absolutely outstanding since making the switch.
His distribution, his command of the penalty area, his shot-stopping in the biggest moments — he has been imperative to Arsenal having the best defensive record in the Premier League across the past three seasons.
Raya has firmly established himself as an elite-level goalkeeper.
Now, heading into 2026-27, he has the chance to do something no Premier League goalkeeper has ever done: win a fourth consecutive Golden Glove.
David Raya could enter the all-time Premier League goalkeeper conversation
This is where Raya currently stands in the list of Premier League Golden Glove winners:
Just from the names alone, that reads like a list of the greatest goalkeepers the division has seen in the last 20 years.
Should Raya win it again this season, he would go level with Petr Cech and Joe Hart on three awards — but neither managed four in a row.
At 30, he’s probably still around his peak years, and is showing no signs of declining any time soon.
With his contract expiring in 2028, Arsenal will surely be working on a well-earned renewal.
The conversation about the greatest Premier League goalkeepers of all time tends to centre on Cech, Peter Schmeichel and more recently, Alisson.
Raya is quietly building a case for himself to be included in that discussion.
For £27million, he might just be the best piece of business Arsenal have done under Arteta.
