Personal terms agreed today: Arsenal set to announce their 5th signing of the summer tomorrow, everything now set – Here we Go
There has been an update in Arsenal’s pursuit of Brentford goalkeeper, David Raya, with the Gunners seemingly closing in on the signing of the contract rebel…
How much is David Raya worth?
As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the north London outfit having seemingly moved a step closer to sealing a move after agreeing personal terms with the 27-year-old, with the Spaniard seemingly destined for an exit with just a year left on his existing deal in west London.
Writing on Twitter, the respected insider stated: “Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms. Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate.”
This claim has also been supported by the Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella, who revealed that the ex-Blackburn Rovers stopper – who is valued at around €20m (£17m), according to CIES Football Observatory – is set to command a fee of £40m
Is Raya better than Ramsdale?
While that figure may appear rather steep for a player who is approaching the end of his current contract, there is an argument to be made that the Barcelona-born ace could represent a big upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates, with Raya having been branded a “better keeper” by talkSPORT pundit, Gabby Agbonlahor.
Although Ramsdale was crucial in the Gunners’ attempted push for the Premier League title last season – having been branded “phenomenal” by club legend David Seaman – the England international did endure something of a rough patch in the latter stages of the campaign.
Despite his heroics away at Anfield in April – in which he was “fantastic” according to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – the 24-year-old was culpable after conceding a goal inside 27 seconds in the 3-3 draw to bottom side Southampton, having been punished amid his attempt to play out from the back.
That had come after the former Sheffield United man had also failed to keep out Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United, with Jamie Carragher stating on commentary at the time that Ramsdale would be “disappointed” not to have kept the attempt out.
Those woes have continued on pre-season as the one-time Bournemouth ‘keeper also failed to save Bruno Fernandes’ long-range effort against rivals Manchester United, while he ‘could arguably have done better’ for Jadon Sancho’s subsequent strike, according to football.london’s Kaya Kaynak.
To then oust Ramsdale from his starting berth with a player who made the most saves in the division last season in the form of Raya could be a wise move, with the Bees ace having also been hailed as “top class” and “one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League” by pundit, Michael Owen (Premier League Productions, 06/03/2023, 19:35).
Raya’s notable strength appears to be his ease at playing out from the back as he ranks in the top 6% among his European peers for touches made, while the current Arsenal man, by contrast, ranks in just the bottom 12% in that regard.
Crucially, however, the Gunners target is also adept at keeping the ball out of the net as he ranks in the top 8% with regard to save percentage and in the top 7% for crosses stopped as a sign of his ability to dominate his area, while Ramsdale ranks in just the top 23% and the top 50% for those same two metrics, respectively.
With Raya also a master at racing off his line to sniff out danger, as he ranks in the top 20% for defensive actions outside of the penalty area – in contrast to Ramsdale (top 40%) – it may be that the one-time Southport loanee is set to be more than just a quality backup option next season.
