Arsenal’s impending purchase of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya would be a great piece of business if we were looking for a new number one.
The Spaniard is well known to Mikel Arteta and his staff and is possessed of many of the qualities the manager is looking for in a goalkeeper; bravery in possession, technical quality, good vision and solid goalkeeping fundamentals too.
The only real fly in the ointment here is, well, the fact that we already have an established first choice keeper and one that has done a pretty good job too.
Nobody is perfect, of course, and nobody should ever be guaranteed a starting place by default but I do wonder at the long-term viability of having two top-quality stoppers in a squad. At a minimum, you’re going to have one unhappy camper in the squad and, if you fail to manage the situation properly, you could end up with two.
It’s worth acknowledging that Arteta and his staff have built a new culture from scratch at the club having inherited a mish-mash of grafters, grifters, and grumblers, and they have a much better day-to-day understanding of what the squad needs to succeed. More than that, they have earned the right to make those calls because of the gradual improvement we have all seen in mood, mentality and performance.
That said, history shows that keeping goalkeepers happy for any great length of time is a near-impossible task. Sooner, rather than later, something or someone has to give.
I wonder, therefore, at the wisdom of taking on Raya having only recently rewarded Ramsdale with a new long-term deal. Have we moved for Raya because we thought we needed a second top-class goalkeeper or have we moved for him because we could?
At the start of the summer transfer window, Raya had numerous suitors and Brentford were content to rebuff any offers that didn’t meet their £40million price tag. As those suitors have moved on elsewhere and landed other targets, Brentford’s hand became weaker and, suddenly, they were faced with a goalkeeper in the final year of his deal with no intention of renewing.
Seeing that situation develop, Edu and Arteta decided to make their move and, barring some late twist, it seems they will land their man. The fee will be a significantly reduced £25millon plus £5 in add-ons.
And while that would be a good piece of business in different circumstances, it doesn’t seem such a wise use of funds when we have already spent the better part of £200million in this window and have gaps in the squad that, arguably, are in greater need of addressing.
Could that £30million have been put to better use on a striker? I would say ‘yes’.
But let’s see how things turn out. Though history suggests otherwise, it may be the case that Arteta is able to keeper his two goalkeepers happy, motivated and pushing eachother on to new heights. If that’s the case, it will end up being a very smart piece of business indeed.
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