Mikel Arteta hits back at critics over £27m Arsenal transfer – 'I was hammered'

Mikel Arteta has hailed David Raya’s record at Arsenal, feeling it vindicates his decision to sign him from Brentford. Raya will reach 100 appearances with the Gunners when they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday and has become an integral part of their improvement under Arteta.

The Spanish goalkeeper joined Arsenal on an initial £3million loan deal for the 2023/24 season before making the switch permanent last summer for £27m. He has kept 41 clean sheets in 99 appearances for Arteta’s side, who have boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons.

While Raya kept 11 Premier League clean sheets to help Brentford finish ninth in 2022/23, some doubted his quality. At 6ft, the 29-year-old lacks the stature of some other goalkeepers and his signing was questioned by some pundits at the time.

Raya was brought up in Arteta’s pre-match press conference on Friday, with Arteta initially bristling at the suggestion that Raya’s clean sheet record was “pretty good”. He shot back: “Pretty good? It’s the best in the history of the football club.”

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He then added with a smile: “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 said the question marks were purely external two summers ago when he replaced Aaron Ramsdale with Raya. “Obviously with the help of everybody, I think he has a tremendous impact on the team,” he said. “So congratulations [to him], because what he's done in that period is an exception.”

Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest will be Arteta’s first since the end of the summer transfer window. The Gunners spent over £260m to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie.

Asked how he felt about the work in the window, Arteta said: “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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