06 December 2023 , 10:15
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David Raya's performance for Arsenal away at Luton Town will do very little to ease the question marks over his status as the Gunners' No.1.
The goalkeeper was brought in on loan from Brentford earlier this season and has since ousted Aaron Ramsdale as the first-choice shot-stopper at the Emirates, but not everyone is convinced. The doubters have even more to use in their case against Raya after he was arguably at fault for two of Luton's three goals during the dramatic 4-3 win at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night.
Flailing at a corner before allowing Ross Barkley's effort to squirm under him, the voices calling for Raya to be dropped and Ramsdale reinstated as No.1 are growing louder. This is by no means the Spaniard's first shaky display between the sticks for the Gunners, just last month he was guilty of an error that led to a goal against Newcastle.
After that game, pundit Jamie Carragher was brutal in his assessment, telling Sky Sports: "The Arsenal goalkeeper [David Raya] has, again, made another mistake and this is a massive problem now for Mikel Arteta.
"This is a huge problem. Again he’s made the same mistake, like he did a couple of weeks ago at Chelsea, and he got away with it. He hasn’t got away with it here."
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Raya didn't get away with it against the Hatters either, but Arteta refused to be drawn into commenting on the seemingly never-ending debate surrounding which goalkeeper he favours. Instead, he told reporters: "We have to defend better the situations as a team.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Raya be dropped for Arsenal's next game? Comment below
David Raya had an uncomfortable evening against Luton (Getty Images)"There are certain things leading to the goals and it's not about blaming, we have never done it, and we're not going to do it now. It's about how the team reacts to that because it's going to happen, and I love that response."
Up next for Arsenal is another tricky away test in the form of a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday evening. Who Arteta opts to start off the back of two glaring Raya errors is guaranteed to raise eyebrows either way.
The longer the debate rumbles on, the more speculation grows surrounding the future of Ramsdale. Reports are rife that the 25-year-old could look to force through an Arsenal exit in a bid to salvage his England hopes ahead of Euro 2024 next summer.