Mikel Arteta was absolutely thrilled with £27m Arsenal man’s passing on the touchline vs Palace yesterday

Add as preferred source on Google

There’s no doubt that several aspects of Arsenal’s win against Crystal Palace yesterday will have pleased their manager Mikel Arteta.

Slumping to three defeats in a row before their warm weather training camp in Dubai, Arsenal returned a rejuvenated side.

After Gabriel Magalhaes’ thumping header settled things down early on, there was little sign of Arsenal’s previous struggles in front of goal.

Arteta watched an Arsenal side full of ideas and execution against Palace, a reaction he must have been delighted with.

That being said, there was one performance in particular that pleased the Spaniard above others.

David Raya has had his fair share of doubters since he joined the club, it was always going to be tough to replace a fan favourite like Aaron Ramsdale.

But following Raya’s excellent work in Arsenal’s third goal in their 5-0 win, Arteta made it so clear how happy he was with his new number one.

Seen during TNT Sport’s live coverage of the game, Arteta directed all of his flamboyant celebrations towards Raya on the touchline, recognising his quick throw-out as the key to the goal.

Mikel Arteta was delighted with David Raya’s role in Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace

Much like many perceive to be the situation with Kai Havertz, Raya seems to be a signing Arteta is taking responsibility for.

Whilst the manager will back all of his players till the end, he seems to have an invested interest in the likes of Raya performing well.

Arteta somewhat stuck his neck on the line when signing the player, so he’s obviously going to be happy to see him doing well in particular.

Raya’s distribution was a joy to watch yesterday, he chose a great time to deliver his best Arsenal performance yet.

The goalkeeper should prove to be a steal at £27m, even if his transition to the club wasn’t an easy one.

But much like a lot of Arteta’s Arsenal players, it seems as if Raya gained a lot of confidence during this short trip away, which he demonstrated against Palace.

That being said, it seems Arsenal could still strengthen their squad before the January transfer window ends.

And Alan Shearer has been blown away by one Arsenal target in particular.