Mikel Arteta names Arsenal star who is taking club to 'different level' after joining them

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed David Raya, saying that the goalkeeper has taken the club to a ‘different level.’

Since joining Arsenal, Raya has taken his game to a whole different level, helping the Gunners keep multiple clean sheets. The Spaniard won the Premier League Golden Glove Award in his debut season at the club and retained it last season, sharing it with Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels after they both ended the campaign with 13 clean sheets.

In the pre-match press conference of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Brentford, Arteta was complimentary of Raya and said:

“An amazing goalkeeper. It’s a great story as well and how it happened [the transfer]. We tried to sign David much earlier, it was as soon as I arrived almost, and he had to wait another two years. The start that he had and the journey that we had together has been phenomenal for us and I’m very happy to have him.

When quizzed on whether Raya is the best signing he’s made as Arsenal manager, Arteta added:

“It’s a very difficult question to answer. But he’s certainly one that is taking us to a different level. He’s certainly a player that has brought something to our way of playing.”

Raya has picked up from where he left off last season and currently leads the race for the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets (7) in the Premier League this season. He has conceded just eight goals in 20 games in the current campaign.

Mikel Arteta praises Mikel Merino’s surprising impact at Arsenal

In the same press conference, Mikel Arteta also spoke glowingly of Mikel Merino’s impact on the club. Merino, who joined Arsenal last season, has built a reputation for his versatility.

Naturally a midfielder, Merino has effectively played in the center forward position in the absence of the club’s strikers. His most recent goal came in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea as he again showed his worth as a makeshift striker.

When asked if he expected Merino could become the striker he has turned out to be, Arteta responded:

“As a striker, certainly not. But that’s the thing as well, that you learn when you sign a player. I knew that he could offer much more than what he had, and especially after I met him for the first time, because a player that has that amount of curiosity and the amount of questions that he’s asked, how willing he is to learn constantly, the way he loves his profession and football, it’s difficult to put limits to that because when someone wants to grow every single day, is that determined, is that hungry to win and evolve and to be part of something, that’s very powerful and Mikel certainly has that.”

Merino is Arsenal’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League in 2025, with eight goals, five coming from headers.