David Raya infuriated Arsenal fans with a really silly error that basically gifted a goal to Tottenham Hotspur in the 3-2 win in the North London derby. But it was actually Mikel Arteta’s reaction to his goalkeeper after the game that got many people talking.
Heading into the derby, Raya was on a crazy hot streak in terms of clean sheets. He had actually kept six consecutive clean sheets in as many away Premier League matches before conceding twice against Tottenham. He’s already won the 2023/24 Golden Glove after notching up 13 clean sheets in his debut campaign with the Gunners.
But the hidden fears among some Arsenal fans about Raya were reawakened in the Spurs game after he gifted a goal to Cristian Romero with a horrible misplaced pass. The Spaniard did not look comfortable at all in his rivals’ home ground and was barely able to help his side scratch out a win.
After full-time, however, he wasn’t really met by an angry Mikel Arteta. Instead, the Arsenal gaffer decided to give him a big hug and looked to be pretty pleased with how his goalkeeper bounced back from the mistake.
Arteta also praised Raya’s character following the game, saying: “We are lucky to have David because he made an individual error but after the way he played… Outstanding! He said I own this moment and I’m going to make a step forward and he was magnificent.”
With that being said, some Arsenal fans were not at all encouraged by what they saw happen between the two after the match. In fact, there are new developing concerns over the long-term future of Raya at the Emirates just because of the fact that Arteta gave him a warm embrace at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
A major reason for this is due to a throwback to a similar incident that happened to Aaron Ramsdale last season. The Englishman was the undisputed Arsenal no.1 in the 2022/23 campaign, but made a few too many errors – which ultimately cost the Gunners in their Premier League title chase.
Arteta didn’t show any public dismay for the English goalkeeper and instead was seen hugging him quite often after disappointing performances. Some fans at that time felt that Ramsdale had the utmost trust of the manager and would remain in the team for many years to come, only for the ex-Sheffield United man to be unseated from his position this season.
Indeed, Ramsdale is now a bench warmer in the Arsenal side and is reportedly looking to leave in the summer transfer window. That is why a few Gooners are now worried that Raya might be sidelined next season or maybe sometime in the near future because of his occasional error-prone nature too.
Some Arsenal fans are immediately linking this Arteta-Raya hug to scenes from popular movies like The Godfather Part II or The Dictator – where the main character hugs someone – only for them to ‘eliminate’ them later on. There is also a feeling that even though the Spanish manager was warm to him in front of the cameras, he must’ve ripped into him for his mistake in the dressing room.
Arteta, of course, has earned a reputation for being absolutely ruthless in sidelining key players from his Arsenal squad. His removal of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette comes to mind, as does how he greenlit Granit Xhaka’s move to Bayer Leverkusen last season. He can be a cut-throat manager when needs be and this has created an unpredictable nature around him.
With that being said, all the reliable reports hint at Raya having a secured long-term future at Arsenal. The Gunners are reportedly ready to permanently sign him in the summer after his loan spell is done and Arteta has repeatedly backed him in public throughout this season.
Moreover, the 28-year-old has played a huge role in helping Arsenal keep the best defensive record in the Premier League – notching up 14 clean sheets and only conceding 23 goals in 29 games. So despite creeping fears about Raya based on that Spurs performance, he realistically looks to have that Arsenal goalkeeper role in the bag for many years to come.