Two Key Goalkeepers Better Than Arsenal’s David Raya Named

The shot-stopping David Raya has been Mikel Arteta’s go-to choice between the sticks ever since dislodging Aaron Ramsdale from his starting berth, and he’s quickly emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Micah Richards, after watching the Spaniard closely since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, has named two goalkeepers who are better than the 30-year-old.

Ever since his permanent £30 million move from fellow London outfit Brentford in the summer of 2023 after spending the entire 2023/24 season on loan in the north of the capital, Barcelona-born Raya has been a revelation for Arteta’s title-winning prospects. Winning England’s top flight has still evaded the Gunners but Raya will be central to their title triumph if/when they do.

According to GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: David Raya, in Arsenal’s history, is the club’s fastest goalkeeper to reach 50 clean sheets – it took the Spaniard just 110 matches.

So far this term, Raya – who moved to Brentford from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2019 – has conceded just five goals and two of those came in Saturday’s up-and-down 2-2 draw with Sunderland, thus ending his side’s eight-match clean sheet streak. Richards, after Raya’s record came to an end, still believes that he has a way to go before being deemed the creme da le creme.

It’s been an ever-growing debate since Raya cemented himself as Arsenal’s go-to choice between the sticks – who is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League? Alisson Becker of Liverpool has long been considered the most talented goalkeeper in England’s top flight and now, Manchester City’s 26-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma is also in with a shout.

Gary Lineker, speaking to co-hosts Richards and Alan Shearer on The Rest is Football podcast, recently discussed the pecking order of world football’s goalkeepers. “Who’s the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment? I quite like these conversations,” he said before adding, “You’ve got Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid and Raya at Arsenal, who has barely conceded a goal this season.”

He continued, “Alisson is injured at the moment but has been at the top for years, you’ve got Donnarumma as well. There’s some great goalkeepers around right now isn’t there? Oblak is worth a mention as well, he’s been great for Atletico. The art of goalkeeping has definitely got better, they’re bigger generally for a start.”

In response to Lineker’s question, ex-England defender Richards claimed to be a fond admirer of Arsenal’s Raya – who has been capped 11 times by the senior Spanish national team – but he named Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid and Belgium as the best goalkeeper on the planet. He also name-dropped Liverpool’s Alisson.

“Thibaut Courtois has been the best goalkeeper in the world for a while. I would say, in the Premier League, it’s Alisson. Raya is on his way to being the best, certainly, but you need to look at what is in front of Raya.”

Alisson, albeit currently injured, is a two-time winner of the Premier League and, for the Reds, he was also key in their Champions League-winning campaign in 2018/19. 107-cap Belgium international Courtois has won Europe’s primary club competition on two occasions for Los Blancos and has been a serial trophy winner for every club he’s played for.

Richards’ points towards Arsenal’s centre-back partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes with Cristian Mosquera patiently waiting in the wings. The options at Arteta’s disposal in the full-back department – including the likes of Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori – is also very strong. That means it’s much easier for Raya to rack up clean sheets.

“Look at what Alisson has done at Liverpool. His one-v-one shot-stopping is ridiculous. The goalkeepers now are definitely more athletic than they were back in the day,” the defender-turned-pundit concluded.

Raya, since moving to the Emirates Stadium, has conceded 86 goals in 111 appearances for Arteta’s Arsenal – and, in that time, the Spain international has picked up 50 clean sheets. This season alone, across all competitions, he’s conceded a mere five goals and notched 11 clean sheets – that’s an incredible record given that he’s played a total of 15 times.