In an interview in Singapore, David Raya was asked about the reaction of coach Mikel Arteta after Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Arsenal, as well as whether he could still be guaranteed to be the team's number one goalkeeper.
"There's nothing special about it. He (Kepa) only came as a new teammate, adding competition in goal. The coach has not said anything yet, so let's wait and see" - Raya said.
When asked if recruiting the world's most expensive goalkeeper would put more pressure, Raya replied: "No, I think it was just a healthy relationship. We are friends. We used to play together in the national team and now have the opportunity to join Arsenal.
We have a good relationship, or in other words, a good combination in goal. We understand the difficulties of being goalkeepers, only one player was the main goalkeeper. Let's wait and see what happens. It is the job of the head coach and he will be the one to make the final decision."
Of course, Raya had been in this situation before. Ramsdale has had a promising start to his Arsenal career after joining the Emirates in 2021 from Sheffield United. However, within just two years, the Gunners haveTrusted Raya, partly thanks to the introduction of goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana, who worked with Raya at Brentford.
It was followed by a challenging period when Raya gradually replaced Ramsdale as Arsenal's number 1 choice in goal. Arteta's public message at the moment is not really clear.
Sources say Arsenal's coaching staff highly appreciate Raya's ball distribution and composure, which are key factors that help him dominate.
For Raya, this experience will be a valuable lesson. "It's good for anyone. Competition in all positions will help improve your qualifications. I will improve myself, and so will he. That is good for the whole team, and that is the most important thing," Raya added.
Although trying to draw meaningful conclusions from pre-planned penalty shootouts at the end of friendly matches may be ineffective. However, Kepa has gained significant confidence when he successfully blocked three penalties in Arsenal's 5-6 loss to AC Milan on penalties in Singapore (after winning the official match 1-0 thanks to Bukayo Saka).
Sources say Arsenal coaches are impressed with Kepa's attitude and learning spirit. The goalkeeper pilot Cana was also seen instructing Kepa on how to place his hand when he was not playing for the ball in an open practice session two days later.
Arteta shared: "Kepa wasn't too far from where I lived ( San Sebastian), and as soon as he walked in, what did you think? I exclaimed, "Oh my god! Right away, it's a pleasure to work with him."
Both goalkeepers played for 45 minutes against Milan, but it can be predicted that Raya will be Arsenal's number 1 goalkeeper next season.
Raya has won the Premier League Golden Gloves - the award for the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets - in the past two seasons. Kepa's arrival could also help Arteta do something he had considered before: a mid-season goal change.
"I don't regret much, but in some games, specifically two times after the 60th and 85th minutes of games, I felt I needed to change goalkeepers right away" - Arteta shared in September 2023, not long after Raya joined the Emirates.
"I didn't do it, because I wasn't brave enough. Instead, I could have brought a winger or striker onto the pitch and moved to a five-man defence to protect the result. We drew in those games, and I'm not happy."
According to British media, one of the matches he mentioned was the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in April that year. In the journey to find the necessary small steps to win his first title in 5 years, Arteta may soon apply his innovative thinking to the goalkeeper position.
