Thierry Henry says Arsenal have a 28-year-old who Arteta thinks will ‘win him the league’

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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has given his verdict on David Raya’s ascendency to the number one spot.

During the summer, Arsenal made the somewhat surprising decision to sign the 28-year-old goalkeeper.

The loan signing came after Aaron Ramsdale had just enjoyed another superb season with the Gunners.

As per Sky Sports, Arsenal paid Brentford £3million to sign Raya for the 2022-23 campaign.

The deal includes an option for the Gunners to sign him permanently for £27million.

Raya made his debut in the 1-0 Premier League win over Everton at the weekend.

Many thought Ramsdale would then return for the Champions League meeting with PSV Eindhoven.

However, that wasn’t the case, with Raya again starting and keeping another clean sheet.

Mikel Arteta’s decision to bring in another top goalkeeper has led to concerns among some.

For instance, there could be potential tension between the two players, who’d both want to start all the time.

‘People have to stop’

However, Henry believes this sort of thing is part and parcel of a big football club, and stressed that, at the end of the day, Arteta is the one who decides.

“It’s not about who is right or wrong, Mikel Arteta is the coach,” Henry told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (20/09/23, 7:40pm).

“He sees David Raya as a guy that can make him win the league.

“When Bernd Leno left Arsenal, he saw Aaron Ramsdale as a guy who can make him go into the top four.

“I think if he goes and gets David Raya, it’s not me who went to get him, not Jamie (Carragher), not Peter (Schmeichel) and not whoever. It doesn’t really matter.

“He went to get him. He thinks he is a better player. There is no rotation. He thinks David Raya is better. People have to stop with that goalkeeper thing. When you play at a big club competition will happen.

“I don’t think it’s about rotation. I don’t think Mikel wants to rotate, as you can see (Raya starting again).

“He went to get a goalkeeper that I think and he thinks that is going to win him the league. That’s why he plays him – You have to respect that. It’s not about being right or wrong.”

Our view

By now, we shouldn’t be surprised about Arteta’s ruthlessness in pursuit of making Arsenal the strongest possible team.

We saw it with Bernd Leno, a top goalkeeper, who ended up losing his place to Ramsdale.

We’ve seen it with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, big names who were unceremoniously frozen out and offloaded.

We have also seen it with the likes of Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, previously indispensable players who are now on the fringes.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Ramsdale could find his starting berth under threat.

At the same time, Arteta has ended Arsenal’s banter years and turned them into a title challenger. He needs to do what he must to now go one better.