After his impressive loan season, Arsenal have activated the £27 million option to permanently sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.
Raya, 28, recorded 16 Premier League clean sheets for the Gunners, winning the Golden Glove by conceding just 16 league goals.
Although Arsenal had a reliable goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale, who played all 38 matches the previous season and kept 14 clean sheets, manager Mikel Arteta opted to bring in Raya for added competition.
In August, Raya signed a new two-year contract with Brentford before joining Arsenal on a season-long loan.
“After a year on loan as a Gunner, I can finally say that I’m an Arsenal player for the coming years,” said Raya. “I’m excited to see what the future holds but always living in and enjoying the present.”
Arteta praised Raya, stating, “He is a big presence in our dressing room and we are pleased to keep working with him. We know he will build on the strong foundations he set last season and enjoy more success with us.”
Raya faced a challenging start to the season, highlighted by two errors in Arsenal’s dramatic 4-3 win over Luton in December. However, he only missed two league matches, when he was ineligible to play against Brentford.
Arteta commended Raya’s passing ability from the back, which was pivotal in March when Raya saved two penalties during a shootout victory over Porto, helping Arsenal reach the Champions League quarter-finals. This achievement made him the first goalkeeper to save at least two penalties in a Champions League shootout since Petr Cech in the 2012 final.
Raya was included in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad but remains behind first-choice goalkeeper Unai Simón. He kept a clean sheet in his only Euro 2024 appearance against Albania, as Spain rotated their squad after securing qualification for the knockout stages.
