Arsenal had the best defence in the Premier League this season, and several defenders have been praised for their performances.
Centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are now recognised as one of the best partnerships in the world, whilst Ben White has also been outstanding at right-back.
Arsenal conceded just 29 goals in 38 games this season, and this excellent record came despite Mikel Arteta causing a storm when he replaced his goalkeeper early on.
David Raya came in from Brentford and usurped Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order, and after initially struggling, he fully settled as Arsenal’s number one, with Ramsdale now expected to leave as a result.
Raya, who is set to make his loan move permanent for £27m, has played a huge part in Arsenal’s defensive stability, but does not appear to get the credit he deserves, and has now been overlooked by former players Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer claim Jordan Pickford had a better season than David Raya
Speaking on The Rest Is Football Podcast, Shearer and Lineker claimed that Pickford edges Raya as the best-performing Premier League goalkeeper this season, due to how much busier he was.
“For me, there were two I was debating with – Pickford and Raya. They’ve both had outstanding seasons. But I’m going for Jordan Pickford,” Shearer stated.
“I’m also going for Pickford. I’m surprised we’ve agreed. For a variety of reasons, I think he’s been unbelievable. He’s a lot busier, obviously than someone like Raya. Ederson and Allison are great goalkeepers, but they’ve made one or two mistakes,” Lineker replied.
“David Raya made one or two mistakes but bounced back. Pickford, on the other hand, has made 121 saves compared with Raya’s 46, Ederson’s 57, and Allison’s 83. He has conceded more goals than the others but I think he’s been brilliant,” Lineker added.
David Raya deserves more credit for Arsenal defensive record
Raya has been overlooked for Pickford because it is believed that as he had less shots to face, he had less work to do.
However, this does not give Raya enough credit for the work he puts in to help prevent shots from being fired at his goal. Whilst he is behind a strong defence, his aggressive positioning, and his remarkable cross-stopping ability, helps Arsenal shut the opposition out.
Raya brings a calmness to the side which Ramsdale does not, and despite a few errors when he initially came into the side, he has had a very strong first season at Arsenal in what were at times, difficult circumstances as he replaced a popular figure in the team.