Aaron Ramsdale’s future at the club is in doubt after David Raya started recent games for Arsenal, including the Champions League match against PSV Eindhoven. In this article, we contrast the two goalkeepers and speculate about the future of Arsenal’s goalkeeping staff.
Between Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya, who is the superior goalkeeper?
Ramsdale in Arsenal’s Unfamiliar Waters.
The Englishman has been without a doubt the best goalkeeper since moving to North London’s team in 2021 for about £30 million.
Due to his outstanding performances, the starting quarterback Bernd Leno was forced to move on to Fulham.
Since then, the 25-year-old has solidified his place in the England national team and emerged as one of the league’s top players in his position.
The ‘Amazing’ Star Who ‘Wants to Leave’ Could Compete With Arsenal and Chelsea in January, according to Fabrizio Romano.
However, with Raya’s arrival from Brentford, the usurper has now been overthrown. Ramsdale has been replaced by the Spaniard in a similar manner to how Jay Leno was replaced by the latter.
Raya’s Ascendance to the Top.
Blackburn Rovers, a former Premier League champion, was where the Barcelona-born goalkeeper began his professional career. He also played outfield in futsal prior to this, which helps to explain his dexterity with the ball in his hands. After assisting Riversiders in gaining promotion to the second division, Raya transferred to Brentford.
With the help of the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League, the Spanish international goalkeeper gained confidence and a reputation as one of the best in the division, which eventually led to a transfer to Arsenal.
Why Are the Two Shot-Stoppers Different?
Both goalkeepers participated in all 38 of their respective clubs’ Premier League games in the 2022–23 season. Raya kept 12 clean sheets for the West Londoners while Ramsdale had 14.
Only three goals separated Raya’s 46 goals against the former, who allowed 43 overall.
But compared to the Arsenal goalkeeper, the Brentford keeper took a lot more direct shots. He made a league-high 154 saves at a respectable save percentage of 77.7 percent, compared to Ramsdale’s 94 saves at a lower 70.6 percent.
Additionally, Raya has a higher cross-stopping percentage than the Englishman (5.8% vs.
8.7%).
Additionally, Raya has 54 defensive actions outside the penalty area compared to Ramsdale’s 43, even though their average defensive action distances are similar (Raya 15 points 8 yards, Ramsdale 16 points 1 yards).
This makes Raya the statistically superior sweeper keeper.
In terms of distribution, the Spaniard excels over the former Sheffield United star.
Despite having identically high short- and medium-pass completion rates, Raya has a much higher long-ball completion rate (44%) than Ramsdale (35%) does.
Additionally, he has 13 progressive passes compared to the Englishman’s 8.
Although these statistics show two goalkeepers who are exceptionally talented, self-assured, and composed, Raya demonstrates a slight edge in terms of what a contemporary goalkeeper is expected to be.
Arteta’s Position Regarding the Goalkeeping Situation.
The goalkeeper switch is simply intended to foster healthy competition within the team, as is the case with every other outfield position, according to Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, who has emphasized this point repeatedly. In a recent interview, he said: “I cannot have two players at each position and not play them.
Like Aaron, David possesses great qualities that we must put to use.”.
But opponents who are interested in signing the Englishman who was benched have already expressed interest.
According to reports, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keeping an eye on Ramsdale’s situation.
The 25-year-old is eager to fight for his spot on the team once more.
What the future holds for the gifted players and the club is currently unknown, but it promises to be an intriguing tale to follow.
For more updates, we are at your service all day long and all night long on Arsenal’s news.
