Mikel Arteta hits back at Arsenal doubters with bullish 12-word message

Mikel Arteta has praised David Raya's outstanding record at Arsenal, believing it justifies his controversial decision to bring him from Brentford. The goalkeeper will notch up his 100th appearance for the Gunners when they welcome Nottingham Forest on Saturday and has become a crucial component in their transformation under Arteta. He arrived at Arsenal on an initial £3million loan arrangement for the 2023/24 campaign before securing a permanent £27m move last summer.

Raya has registered 41 clean sheets across 99 outings for Arteta's team, who have maintained the Premier League's strongest defensive statistics for two successive seasons. Whilst he managed 11 Premier League clean sheets to assist Brentford in securing ninth place in 2022/23, some questioned his calibre. Standing at six feet tall, the 29-year-old doesn't possess the physical presence of certain other keepers and his acquisition was criticised by several pundits initially.

Raya featured in Arteta's pre-match media briefing on Friday, with Arteta immediately taking exception to the notion that Raya's clean sheet tally was 'pretty good'.

He responded sharply with a 12-word message, saying: "Pretty good? It's the best in the history of the football club."

Arteta, with a grin on his face, added: "It's unbelievable, and I was hammered when I brought him. So that's perspective as well.

"Very good to understand the game and especially when a few months or years go by, it's really good to look back as well and reflect on that."

Arteta stated that the doubts were purely external when he replaced Aaron Ramsdale with Raya two summers ago.

"Obviously with the help of everybody, I think he has a tremendous impact on the team," said the Arsenal boss. "So congratulations [to him], because what he's done in that period is an exception."

Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest will be Arteta's first since the close of the summer transfer window. The Gunners splashed out over £260m to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie.

When asked about his feelings regarding the work done in the window, Arteta responded: "Well, happy, because at the end, through the summer, through pre-season, there are a lot of unknowns and players that I don't really understand their role in the future.

"And at the end, we have managed to accomplish what we wanted, to take the opportunity as well to say thank you to some of the players that left us after a few years and a great contribution to the club and the team.

"[We] wish them all the very best. And now we have clarity. This is the squad that we have here at least until January. I'm very pleased with it."

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