“He is fitting in as well” - David Seaman insists Arsenal star now looks ‘brilliant’ after settling down from nervous start to season
Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman heaped praise on David Raya following the Gunners' 6-0 hammering of West Ham United on Sunday, February 11.
Mikel Arteta's side put in an utterly dominant performance to seal a record away win at the London Stadium in the Premier League. William Saliba (32'), Bukayo Saka (41' p), Gabriel Magalhaes (44'), and Leandro Trossard (45+2') put the visitors 4-0 ahead at half time. Saka (63') then completed his brace before former West Ham midfielder Declan Rice (65') completed the scoring.
With the win, Arsenal have now kept the highest number of clean sheets in the Premier League this season (9), with Raya keeping seven of them. After the game, Seaman pointed out how the Spanish goalkeeper has settled down at the club after initial nervousness. He said (via The Boot Room):
“To be fair I thought he looked a little bit nervous straight away, when he first came in. There’s all that pressure of should Aaron be in there, and I think that affected him a little bit.
“But he has settled down now and we are all seeing how good he is with his feet. He is brilliant on crosses, you have to give him that. He is settling down nicely and he is fitting in as well.
“As much as that is really hard on Aaron, there is still a massive decision to be made in the summer as to what happens.”
Arsenal signed Raya on loan from Brentford last summer despite having Aaron Ramsdale as their No. 1, which drew plenty of criticism. Raya also made some errors initially but has settled in well since, keeping 10 clean sheets in 24 games across competitions this season.
Arsenal continue their impressive form following winter break
The Gunners suffered a major dip in form in December, which saw them win just one of their seven games across competitions. This includes their elimination from the FA Cup third round at the hands of Liverpool on January 7.
However, Arsenal have bounced back exceptionally from the poor run following the winter break. They have won all of their four games since then, scoring 16 goals and conceding just twice. The Gunners beat Crystal Palace 5-0 at home, Nottingham Forest 2-1 away, Liverpool 3-1 at home, and West Ham 6-0 away.
This upturn in form sees Arsenal third in the Premier League standings, just two points behind leaders Liverpool. They are level on points with Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
The north London side will next face Burnley on February 17 before facing FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg four days later.