David Raya, the 27-year-old Spanish goalkeeper, has embarked on a new challenge at Arsenal, aiming to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for the starting spot. Raya joined the Gunners on a £3 million loan deal, with an option for a £27 million permanent transfer set for next summer.

Raya finally completed a loan move to Arsenal 

David Raya has joined Arsenal on loan

David Raya’s journey to becoming a top-flight goalkeeper began in humble circumstances. As a teenager, the Spaniard was loaned to non-league Southport from Blackburn Rovers, where he honed his skills. Despite his evident talent, his recent move to Arsenal has drawn mixed reactions, with pundits like Darren Bent and Shay Given expressing skepticism about the signing.

Raya’s rise from obscurity started when UE Cornella, a third-division Spanish side, sold him to Blackburn Rovers at just 15 years old for a modest £10,000. His potential was clear from the outset, convincing Blackburn after only one game. At the club, he was mentored by Steven Drench, a player-coach now with Chorley, who played a pivotal role in shaping Raya’s skills, especially his footwork and shot-stopping abilities. Known for his ‘hands like shovels,’ Raya’s proficiency with the ball at his feet became a standout feature of his game.

David Raya’s development from youth prospect to first-team goalkeeper was closely guided by Steven Drench, who played a key role in refining his skills. Raya has often credited his former mentor for shaping him into the keeper he is today.

Reflecting on his early impressions of Raya, Drench shared with Sky Sports: “Being from Spain, he had that European way of moving around the goal, but what stood out was his technique, shot-stopping, and pure athleticism.”

Raya’s futsal background in Spain gave him remarkable comfort with the ball at his feet, a skill Drench helped polish further through unconventional training like football golf, head tennis, and focused distribution drills. “We knew that was a strength of his,” Drench explained.

The evolution of the game, with its increasing emphasis on goalkeepers’ ball-handling abilities, made Raya’s distribution a standout quality. “If a goalkeeper is good with their feet, that’s one of the first checkpoints coaches look for,” Drench noted.

Raya’s confidence and ability on the ball made him a natural fit for Brentford’s style of play, but Drench believes his qualities transcend club systems. “He could go into any team in the top leagues in Europe and fit in quite well. He’s like an extra outfield player,” he concluded.

Raya began his football dream at third tier UE Cornella 

Shotstopper Raya signed his first professional contract with Blackburn in 2014

Non-league success

As every player knows, non-league can be the best grounding for any youngster.

In the 2014-15 season, Raya had a brief spell with Southport who were bottom of the sixth tier.

Manager Gary Brabin was brought to the club to also ease the Conference Premier club’s relegation fears.

“He was a young goalkeeper right down the pecking order at Blackburn,” Brabin recalled.

“You’re thinking, ‘is he going to be experienced enough for this relegation battle?’ Because you need strong characters.

“A new manager comes in, the team is bottom of the league and a lot of people’s heads were down and they were considering what’s next. But that wasn’t the case with David. He was an unbelievable character, confident and bubbly and it was lovely to feed off that and spread it among the squad. It was a great team spirit.

“It was his feet that really impressed me. The way David was so confident, we played a lot more football on the ground than other teams at our level and we quickly got out of those bottom four places. He was integral to that because of how good he was.

At Southport Raya became a cult hero

Raya starred in a third round FA Cup tie at Derby County for the non-league club 

“We felt safe having him at the back and it wasn’t just keeping the ball out, he was starting our play. He was our starting point and it was successful for us.”

Blackburn No1

By the 2017-18 season, 6ft Raya established himself as Rovers No1.

His ability on the ball, as well as his cat-like reflexes propelled his side to promotion from League One to the Championship.

One thing that stood out amongst his peers were the size of his hands.

“The thing about David is he’s not your normal 6ft 4in, 6ft 5in goalkeeper and he’s been fighting against that stereotype,” says Drench. “So, he has to have that little bit more spring, power and athleticism.

David Raya’s massive hands have been likened to shovels

“You have to be able to make those saves that would be top-drawer saves. But the way he moves around the goal and the way he plays with his feet makes him the all-round package.

“When he made a save, we’d always joke that he’d spin on his bum and go the other way. I didn’t want to take that away from him because he could cover the goal that quickly.

In 2018, Raya helped Blackburn get promoted to the Championship 

Raya boasts hands like shovels according to a former coach 

Last year Raya became a Spain international 

“You see some of the saves he makes now, he’s saving the ball two or three yards past his post because his feet are that quick. He’s that agile and powerful that when he does take that step, he’s covering more of the goal. He’s making difficult saves look very, very easy.

“And if you ever meet him, he has hands like shovels, they’re massive.”

Brentford and beyond

In 2019, Raya earned a move to the Bees in a £3million transfer.

He was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year at the 2020 London Football Awards for his efforts during the first half of the 2019–20 season. He also shared the EFL Golden Glove trophy with Bartosz Biakowski for the season’s 16 league clean sheets.

He helped his team get promoted to the top division the following season by posting 17 clean sheets.

The most astounding statistic, though, was that he attempted 300 more passes during that season than any other goalie in the Championship.

His first victory in the Premier League was against Arsenal, and he inked the date 13/08/21 of that memorable triumph on his neck to remember it.

Raya has since gone on to become a Spain international, making his debut against Albania last year.

Raya has a tattoo on his neck commemorating his first ever Premier League victory match 

He usurped Aaron Ramsdale and has not looked back since taking his place in the team

Raya, 28, wears size 11 goalkeeper gloves which are made by The ONE Glove – the largest size available on the company’s website.