Mikel Arteta was 100 per cent right about Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya
Many thought him a madman at the time (myself included), but it turns out Mikel Arteta was 100 per cent right about Aaron Ramsdale.
Fans have long since endorsed the decision to buy David Raya in August 2023 after their initial doubt of the motives. Ramsdale had done well and was just named in the Premier League Team of the Year, why fix what is not broken? For all intents and purposes, it really seemed like ousting Ramsdale would be more trouble than it was worth.
Three Golden Gloves in a row, one UCL final appearance and a PL title later – something Raya played a key role in securing - are more than enough evidence to show that his controversial arrival has been fully justified.
And Arteta was the man behind it all. He is forever obsessed with ‘marginal gains’, unwilling to settle for eight or nine out of ten if top marks are within reach, and he clearly saw something in Raya which was worth pursuing, even if it meant rocking the boat.
To bear that conviction, even when things are going well and the backlash will be fierce, is a sign of a true leader.
Perhaps even Arteta is surprised by just how well Raya has done, and the goalkeeper himself deserves huge credit for his own flourishing. His efforts last year had already marked him out as one of the best in world football, while his weekly jaw-dropping moments (e.g. the save from Estevao last week, the penalty save from Enzo Le Fée at Sunderland) would make you wonder how the decision to buy him was ever questioned.
His ’correctness’ is all the more stark given the remarkable fall off of Ramsdale. Since his Arsenal exit, the 28-year-old has acted as second choice for Newcastle United and currently plays for the u21s for Championship side Southampton – far from the heady heights of being a standout name in a PL team chasing the title.
How he fell so dramatically and in such a short amount of time is unclear. It would perhaps be unfair to attribute his form at Arsenal to the tutelage of Arteta or Inaki Cana, but he hit heights under their guidance which he did not hit either before or since then, and it all only serves to vindicate the boss for his ruthless decision.
If he could just apply that same, dogged pursuit of marginal gains to the attack, then this team might be unstoppable.
For now, it is enough to give Arteta a pat on the back for his courage and laud Raya for his own work to establish himself as a truly elite goalkeeper. No stats will ever capture the impact that this 'vanity signing' has had on Arsenal fortunes.
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