'Raya should be considered Arsenal's player of the season'
[BBC] [Getty Images] I didn't initially see David Raya's remarkable save from Mateus Fernandes during Arsenal's win on Sunday because I already had my head in my hands. It was a well-worked piece of play from the home team, with Fernandes just needing to place the ball anywhere but where he actually did to score. As he went through on goal, I simply couldn't watch.
Several hundred replays later and Raya's save could be the moment of the season. He has quietly become Arsenal's most important player and, in my opinion, should be considered our player of the season. The Spaniard's rise to winning his third Golden Glove award in a row should be recognised as one of the early signs of Mikel Arteta's ability to identify and coach potentially elite players, all while being unafraid at upsetting the status quo.
It's easy to forget that when Raya was first brought into Arsenal, Aaron Ramsdale was one of the first names on the teamsheet. Many fans, myself included, wondered why Arteta would upset his current number one by bringing in an outsider. Moreover, when Raya was eventually picked to start over Ramsdale, his first few games left fans wondering whether the fuss was worth it.
Arteta, and the coaching staff at Arsenal, deserve immense credit for what they saw in Raya and how he has improved season after season. His showreel of saves from this season, including Saturday's point-blank stop against West Ham , is extensive. Fast-forward to 2026 and it's almost impossible to overstate the impact Raya has had on this team.
In addition to his remarkable shot-stopping capability, he is integral in orchestrating Arsenal's build-up through his decisive distribution. With Ramsdale the exception, Arsenal have for decades managed with a good, but perhaps not elite, goalkeeper. Raya is perhaps the finest example that the much espoused "defence wins titles" almost definitely starts with exactly that - a world-class goalkeeper.