Ian Wright shares what he saw Mikel Arteta doing when Arsenal fans were going nuts at £30m player

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Ian Wright has shared how Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacted to fans going nuts at goalkeeper David Raya.

Speaking on the Stick To Football Podcast, Wright was analysing Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend.

It was a game full of talking points with Manchester City lucky to finish the match with 11 men.

Mateo Kovacic avoided getting his marching orders despite bad tackles on Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

There was also a big question mark over who would be in Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up with Bukayo Saka ruled out due to injury.

Gabriel Jesus was given the nod on the wing with Eddie Nketiah starting up top, although he struggled to make an impact.

One decision that has been widely discussed at Arsenal is who should start in goal.

David Raya has been given the nod over Aaron Ramsdale in recent weeks and kept another clean sheet on Sunday.

However, the crowd at the Emirates was made slightly nervous by the £30m goalkeeper’s distribution at times.

Ian Wright has now shared how Mikel Arteta reacted to the Arsenal fans voicing their displeasure with Raya when he was on the ball.

The Spanish goalkeeper has been instructed to hold onto the ball and take his time to pick a pass, but it certainly tested the nerves of those watching in North London.

Wright shares Arteta reaction to Raya’s reception

Speaking about the goalkeeper, Wright said: “You could see the fans, especially where I was sitting, say come on!

“You could see [Oleksandr] Zinchenko in there, and if he could just clip on in – you see Ederson do stuff like that.

“But you could see Mikel [Arteta], he’s saying just stay calm. You have seen Mikel and [Roberto] De Zerbi as well, when they just go long and give up possession, they absolutely lose it.”

Raya ended up completing 29 of his 43 passes on Sunday, a ratio he will be hoping to improve in future.

Wright has previously praised Raya’s distribution and Arteta’s reaction speaks volumes about the confidence he has in his goalkeeper.

He’s suggested he will continue to rotate Raya and Aaron Ramsdale but right now it’s hard to see when the England international will break into the side again.

Martin Odegaard was echoing the thoughts of his manager when the crowd made themselves heard when Raya was on the ball.

Having the support of his teammates and coach when asked to play such a high-pressure role is going to be pivotal to his success at the Emirates.