‘Arteta is creating unnecessary problem in the dressing room, I now understand why they call Him a BABY COACH’: Kasey Keller blast Arteta for signing £40m despite the player showing lucrative effort this season
Kasey Keller has suggested that everyone is shaking their heads at Mikel Arteta deciding to bring David Raya to Arsenal in the summer, insisting that he has created an unnecessary problem.
Keller was speaking on ESPN as the panel discussed the battle between Aaron Ramsdale and the Spaniard for the number one spot at the Emirates.
David Raya seems to have established himself as the first-choice for the Gunners. Raya has started against the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham. Meanwhile, he has also started in both of Arsenal’s Champions League games.
Few Arsenal fans would have believed you if they had been told towards the end of last season that Aaron Ramsdale would lose his place as number one by the second international break of this campaign.
Ramsdale signed a new contract earlier this year. And it appeared that Arsenal had a settled group of goalkeepers with Matt Turner also in the ranks.
Pundit baffled by Mikel Arteta deciding to bring David Raya in to rival Aaron Ramsdale
But Turner has moved on and been replaced by David Raya. And without Ramsdale seemingly doing much wrong, Raya has taken his spot after the opening weeks of the season.
Raya’s performance against Manchester City at the weekend was hardly the most encouraging. And with that, Kasey Keller has suggested that Mikel Arteta was asking for trouble when he signed the 28-year-old.
“I understand that if Turner is leaving to go to Forest you needed cover, so what is normally the case is that you bring in a veteran goalkeeper who you know you won’t hesitate if your starting goalkeeper slips up and isn’t playing well, or you bring in a young up and coming kid to challenge him for that starting spot,” he told ESPN.
“Instead you sign two number ones which causes all kinds of problems in the changing room, it causes problems with the fans, and then when that new goalkeeper comes in and has shaky moments the fans then get on the back and the manager has no other choice but to back the guy who he spent a ton of money on to replace a guy who didn’t need to be replace.
“So why Arteta decided at this stage that this was the controversy that he wanted to bring into his squad, I think we are all shaking our heads at that.”
Arsenal boss has taken a big risk
Perhaps Arteta will be vindicated in time. Raya is unquestionably an outstanding goalkeeper. Speaking on Stick to Football, Ian Wright suggested that Raya’s distribution was unbelievable in the second-half against Manchester City.
There was obviously something in Arteta’s mind that Ramsdale wasn’t bringing to the party. And Raya appears to tick more of the boxes.
But there is absolutely no question that it was a gamble to make that move to bring Raya in.
