In an effort to provide competition in every position, Arsenal is still being connected to another expensive summer signing.
How much is David Raya worth?
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided an update on David Raya’s future, Mikel Arteta’s interest, and his high asking price on Twitter. This information is the most recent on the Gunners’ pursuit of David Raya.
He stated:
As the player favors Arsenal over Bayern as a destination, it is understood that Arsenal has contacted David Raya’s camp to begin salary negotiations. No difficulties with Raya exist at this time, but the big discussion will be between the clubs because Brentford has insisted on a £40 million cost.
FootballTransfers values the Brentford starting quarterback at €11.8 million (£10 million), which is far less than the hyped amount.
David Raya: How excellent is he?
Adding such an outstanding ball player and shot-stopper would strengthen a backline that is already skilled at playing out from the back. Since it is a component of Arteta’s entire philosophy and would not exist without it, his system would be pointless.
As a result, a large portion of his team has been developed with that in mind, molding young players into that mold and bringing in stars who can fit in easily.
William Saliba marked a blend of the two, as he joined in 2019 for a mouth-watering £27m fee, but was subsequently sent back to France on loan for the years following before enjoying his breakthrough year most recently.
The 22-year-old returned to the Emirates and played a significant role there after being transformed into the ideal center-back for such a system, but his outstanding season was cut short by a back injury.
Prior to that, according to Sofascore, he had maintained an average rating of 6.96 in the Premier League thanks to his 91% pass accuracy, 90% dribbling success, 1.3 tackles per game, and three clearances. In what was effectively his first season, he was among the top ten players at the club and had the second-best clearing rate.
These were numbers that undoubtedly reverberated around the continent, as he ranks in the top 7% of Europeans in his job for pass completion per 90.
Jermaine Jenas, a pundit, praised the young player for having such a skill: “But I have to give it to William Saliba because he’s really astonished me. He has been confident on the ball and has directed events from the back. He is in a separate class, and he has been playing in different gear the entire time.
These two could form one of the best ball-playing center-back-to-goalkeeper combinations if they combined such excellence in possession with the safety Raya would offer.
Because of his passing range, Jurgen Klopp claimed that the 27-year-old star may perform better “wearing the No 10 shirt.” Not to mention that he combined that with 4.1 league-average saves per game the previous season, with a 77% success rate. His Bees team still had the fifth-best defense in the division despite making the most saves.
In fact, he ranks in the top 6% for touches per 90 in the league while also posting an excellent 61% pass accuracy when compared to others in his position across Europe.
Back in 2021, Thomas Frank sought to support the assertions of his countryman by observing:
I’m biased, but I think David Raya is a pretty strong custodian. He’s been one of our top three performers this season. Perhaps now he can take that next step, to both stars for the Gunners and help strengthen a defense where advancing the ball sits above all else.
