David Raya has signed a long-term contract with the club to complete his permanent move from Brentford.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper spent last season with us on loan and was an integral part of the success we enjoyed and history we made. He made 41 appearances in all competitions, keeping 20 clean sheets. Sixteen of those were in the Premier League and earned David the 2023/24 Premier League Golden Glove.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, he arrived in England aged 16, signing for Blackburn Rovers. He tasted success in Lancashire, gaining his first promotion to the Championship and making 108 senior appearances for the club. Part of his development at Blackburn included a short spell on loan at Southport.
In the summer of 2019, David moved to Brentford and, including last season, he spent four years contracted to the west London club. A key player for Thomas Frank, he made 161 appearances in all competitions, keeping 54 clean sheets including, in his debut season, the 16 which saw him crowned joint-winner of the Championship Golden Glove award. A year later, he helped the Bees win promotion to the Premier League.
After joining us on loan last August, David enjoyed a truly impressive campaign. He complemented his strong league form with some fine displays in Europe, most notably in the penalty shootout against Porto in the Champions League round of 16 when he saved two spot-kicks to send us into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in 14 years.
David helped his country, Spain, to silverware when they defeated the Netherlands to lift the 2023 UEFA Nations League. In preparation for Euro 2024, he kept a clean sheet in Spain’s 5-0 win against Andorra last month and another in their final group game at the tournament, a 1-0 victory over Albania.
Everyone at the club is delighted to welcome David back.
On making his move permanent, David said: “After a year on loan as a Gunner, I can finally say that I’m an Arsenal player for the coming years. I’m excited to see what the future holds but always living in and enjoying the present.
“It’s a dream come true to be here and I want to thank you for all the support you have already given me throughout the last year.”
Sporting Director Edu said: “We are so happy to have completed the deal to sign David from Brentford.
“He had a beautiful first season with us, winning the Premier League Golden Glove. He is a talented international, a great professional and a popular figure at the club. We benefited from all of this last season during his loan with us.
“David’s signing is another strong example of our recruitment strategy in action, as we continue to build a team that will challenge for major trophies. We know there’s so much more to come from him and we are excited that he will continue to be a big part of the journey we are all on.”
Manager Mikel Arteta added: “David showed us last season what an important player he is for us, so we are delighted he is now officially our player. He is a big presence in our dressing room and we are really pleased to keep working with him.
“We know he will take the strong foundations he put in place last season and build on them in the years to come, and that he will enjoy more success with us. We have a very talented group of goalkeepers and I love to see connections like the one I see in our goalkeeping unit.”
The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.
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