How supporters really feel about positions of precedence within the switch market could be very closely ruled by the season that has instantly handed. It’s totally comprehensible and logical that the assault and the artistic areas of the staff occupy most of our pondering as Arsenal followers for the time being. It’s the space the place accidents harm the staff probably the most final season and, even with a clear invoice of well being, it’s the space most in want of first eleven high quality expertise.
Lengthy-term harm to Gabriel Jesus, the failure of Raheem Sterling’s mortgage spell, in addition to the exits of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira introduced the world into even sharper focus final 12 months. In the end, the Gunners began a Champions League knockout tie with a entrance three of Sterling, Tierney and Merino (albeit once they had a 7-1 first leg buffer).
Our anxieties about different potential areas of weak point can be dictated by availability throughout the previous marketing campaign. Arsenal had a variety of dangerous harm luck (although there may be, after all, an argument that overplaying sure gamers might have contributed too) but when they bought fortunate in a single space, it was in purpose. David Raya was out there for each single recreation however there have been solely three he didn’t take part in.
At dwelling to Bolton within the League Cup, 16-year-old Jack Porter (whose identify scans unbelievably nicely with System of a Down’s 2002 hit ‘Toxicity’) began. For the fourth spherical of the competitors, Arsenal have been in a position to improve from a goalkeeper who has simply taken his GCSEs to a goalkeeper that had simply taken his A-Ranges in Tommy Setford.
Mortgage signing from Bournemouth Neto performed within the Champions League useless rubber in opposition to Girona and after making an attempt to palm away a shot an excellent 25 yards from his neto, Arteta determined that was fairly sufficient of him for the season. That Raya stayed match and out there was an oasis of fine fortune within the desert of 2024-25. Not solely did Raya escape the harm gods, however he additionally escaped the wrath of the PGMOL.
That he managed to keep away from changing into the primary goalkeeper in Premier League historical past to be despatched off for chewing gum was a minor miracle, given the various officiating mishaps Arsenal suffered final season. Elite golf equipment are inclined to undergo ‘cycles’ in the case of again up goalkeepers given the volatility of the place.
Liverpool have simply misplaced the league’s greatest again up goalkeeper in CaoimhÃn Kelleher, who is simply too good to take a seat on the bench and has signed for Brentford. Previous to Kelleher, Liverpool’s again up goalkeeper was the post-prime model of Adrian, who was a big step down from each Kelleher and Alisson.
When you’ve got an excellent again up goalkeeper, you don’t are inclined to have them for very lengthy. A lot as they did within the Invincibles season when Stuart Taylor’s harm meant Graham Stack was Jens Lehmann’s redundant back-up, Arsenal bought away with a sub-par again up final season.
In 2023-24, that they had Ramsdale because the reluctant bench fodder, whose observe document reassured us even when he truly proved to be fairly poor in his uncommon outings throughout that season. It’s a troublesome place to point out your greatest type in when you possibly can’t string a run of video games collectively and Ramsdale’s type was clearly exacerbated by a lack of confidence after a really public demotion.
In 2022-23 the again up was Matt Turner, who in all probability matches into the ‘Neto and a few youngsters’ grade of fall again choices (sorry Matt). In 2021-22, it was Bernd Leno fulfilling the ‘reluctant again up’ function fulfilled by Ramsdale two seasons therefore. The German was solid within the ‘clapping and pretending to smile when the opposite nominee wins the Oscar’ function.
I’m not going to spin out this conceit any additional by going into regardless of the fuck was occurring when Runar Runarsson was Leno’s glove butler. Whereas back-up goalkeeper is just not a very powerful, or most eye catching, piece of enterprise Arsenal have to do that summer time, I feel it’s nonetheless essential.
Firstly, it’s straightforward to be inured to the significance of a deputy ‘keeper when they’re solely concerned in Carabao Cup kickabouts in opposition to EFL reserve groups or Champions League useless rubbers. But when Raya have been to be injured for 2, three, even six months, it quickly turns into an extremely essential place. Alisson missed 10 Premier League video games by way of harm for Liverpool final season and it proved to be no concern in any respect because of the standard of Kelleher.
Whereas Richard Wright and Stuart Taylor didn’t show to be critical competitors for David Seaman in 2001-02, they each performed adequate video games to qualify for a Premier League winners’ medal. Nonetheless, I feel Raya’s contribution as a pseudo outfield participant signifies that he would go away a critical emptiness in case of medium to long-term absence.
I virtually take a look at him as a form of reverse goal man. The good thing about an enormous striker like Havertz is that he offers you the choice to go excessive of the press and relieve stress. I feel Raya does one thing very related across the reverse penalty space. He’s very adept at leaving the width of his posts to supply an outlet for defenders who is perhaps pressed up in opposition to the touchline.
The range he exhibits in each brief and lengthy distribution is troublesome to copy. It’s straightforward to see why Arsenal significantly considered spending comparatively massive cash on extra of an analogue in Joan Garcia. I perceive and even endorse Arsenal’s resolution to not probably limit their attacking price range by paying the asking price- however not doing so nonetheless represents a chance that might backfire.
Raya is essential to the best way that Arsenal play and what they can do in build-up. Discovering a back-up with the same skillset, even when they don’t seem to be as achieved as Raya, goes to be very troublesome. Arteta has his ‘Gabriel’ in purpose and discovering a ‘Kiwior’ is just not going to be straight ahead.
If this season has taught us something, it’s that harm luck hardly ever holds for greater than a season. In 2023-24, Arsenal had comparatively success with accidents and so they paid a extreme tariff for that in 2024-25. Raya goes to get injured in some unspecified time in the future and ensuring the drop off, each in type in addition to high quality, is just not Arsenal’s most essential job this summer time, nevertheless it is perhaps probably the most troublesome.
