Arteta Praises Raya as a Tremendous Signing

Mikel Arteta is not interested in ranking his transfer hits. He just knows David Raya has changed his team.

Speaking before this weekend’s league fixture, the Spanish coach was asked if his goalkeeper was the best piece of business of his tenure. He pushed the label away, but not the praise.

"I don't know – he's been a tremendous signing, there is no question about that," Arteta said. "Whether he is the best or not is just an opinion. It doesn't matter, we are so happy to have him. He has elevated the team to a different level and now we have to maintain that level."

That last line tells the story. For Arteta, Raya is no longer simply a shrewd buy; he is a standard-setter.

The Arsenal manager pointed to mentality as the foundation of the Spaniard’s rise, especially after a demanding start under intense scrutiny.

"I think it's his mentality. David has tremendous quality but he has overcome a lot of difficulties and challenges to reach this point," Arteta explained. "It wasn't easy at the beginning, he had to dig in and prove himself. Now, he has the right to be one of the best."

No grand declarations, no headline-grabbing comparisons. Just a clear message from the manager: Raya has earned his status, and the team’s new level now has to become the norm.