‘It’s not a gamble’: Mikel Arteta confident he’s made the right call on 27-year-old Arsenal player this summer

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended his decision to bring David Raya to the club to compete with Aaron Ramsdale.

Arteta, speaking via MailSport, said that his decision wasn’t a gamble, rather a necessity for the club to progress.

The manager spoke about creating an environment that gets the best from all players, and he believes his new signings will help that.

When asked about adding extra competition for places, Arteta said: “It’s not a gamble, it’s a necessity.

“There is not another way. The difference between tier one and what you call ‘tier-two players’ is too big.

“How do you resolve that? We can bring excellent players from the academy but unfortunately today we don’t have somebody so ready to make that step.

“We have to create that environment. It’s not a competition, it’s to raise the level and the demands that we are going to be facing.”

Whilst almost all pundits and fans will recognise David Raya as an excellent player, not all think it’s a good idea to sign him.

25-year-old Aaron Ramsdale has been thriving for Arsenal ever since being entrusted as their number one.

But the now departed Matt Turner wasn’t pushing for his number one spot last season.

Perhaps Arteta perceived Ramsdale to be in a comfort zone at Arsenal, something that won’t be the case with Raya around.

Arteta has defended his decision to bring Raya to Arsenal

Although Raya will push for Ramsdale’s spot, the current number one should start against Crystal Palace on Monday according to reports.

An immediate dropping wouldn’t really align with Arteta’s comments on competing for places, that would be more akin to a replacement.

And whilst Arsenal fans might be concerned about the prospect of Arteta one day replacing Ramsdale with Raya, it should only be for the club’s benefit.

Arteta has put an enormous amount of faith in Ramsdale, something he won’t throw away for no reason.

Last year Ramsdale proved that he has the levels capable of being a title-winner.

It would be hard to imagine Mikel Arteta watched last year’s campaign and simply wanted to replace his number one.

Much like a lot of Arteta’s managerial decisions, a clear comparison can be seen to Pep Guardiola’s journey at Manchester City.

Pep has had incredibly strong competition for places for years.

And with Raya arriving at Arsenal, Arteta has now taken another step towards that lofty example.