Arsenal new boy David Raya went from non-league Southport to the Premier league, thanks to having ‘hands like shovels’
DAVID RAYA’S latest challenge is to provide competition for Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal.
The Spaniard, 27, has joined the Gunners on a £3million loan deal with a view to a £27million move next summer.
But not everyone is in favour – with talkSPORT’s Darren Bent and MOTD 2 pundit Shay Given questioning the signing.
Raya’s rise to the top and transition to top-flight goalie began at Blackburn Rovers, where he was loaned out to non-league Southport.
The sweeper-keeper is also said to boast ‘hands like shovels’ to aid his skills with the ball at his feet.
Plucked from obscurity
Raya joined Rovers when he was just 15 from third tier Spanish side UE Cornella for the meagre fee of just £10,000.
It needed just one trial to convince the Lancashire club he would be an asset.
Player-coach Steven Drench, who is now at Chorley, took him under his wing.
It is Drench who oversaw Raya’s rise from youth level to first team.
While Raya has name-checked his former mentor for making him the keeper he is.
“Being from Spain, he had that European way of moving around the goal, but what stood out was his technique, shot-stopping and pure athleticism,” Drench told Sky Sports about the first time he saw him play.
“In Spain, he played a lot of futsal when he was younger, so he was comfortable with the ball at his feet,” adds Drench. “But we did a lot of football golf and head tennis with lots of distribution practice as we knew that was a strength of his.
“The reason I’ve been able to play until I’m 37 is because I’ve been able to play with my feet. The way the game has changed now, if a goalkeeper is good with their feet, that’s one of the first checkpoints coaches look for. Can they make saves? Can they collect crosses? Can they be good with their feet?
“His distribution is a major plus point and being at Brentford with the style of football they play, he suits them. But he could go into any team in the top leagues in Europe and fit in quite well with the confidence he has on the ball. He’s like an extra outfield player.”
Non-league success
As every player knows, non-league can be the best grounding for any youngster.
In the 2014-15 season, Raya had a brief spell with Southport who were bottom of the sixth tier.
Manager Gary Brabin was brought to the club to also ease the Conference Premier club’s relegation fears.
“He was a young goalkeeper right down the pecking order at Blackburn,” Brabin recalled.
“You’re thinking, ‘is he going to be experienced enough for this relegation battle?’ Because you need strong characters.
“A new manager comes in, the team is bottom of the league and a lot of people’s heads were down and they were considering what’s next. But that wasn’t the case with David. He was an unbelievable character, confident and bubbly and it was lovely to feed off that and spread it among the squad. It was a great team spirit.
“It was his feet that really impressed me. The way David was so confident, we played a lot more football on the ground than other teams at our level and we quickly got out of those bottom four places. He was integral to that because of how good he was.
“We felt safe having him at the back and it wasn’t just keeping the ball out, he was starting our play. He was our starting point and it was successful for us.”
Blackburn No1
By the 2017-18 season, 6ft Raya established himself as Rovers No1.
His ability on the ball, as well as his cat-like reflexes propelled his side to promotion from League One to the Championship.
One thing that stood out amongst his peers were the size of his hands.
“The thing about David is he’s not your normal 6ft 4in, 6ft 5in goalkeeper and he’s been fighting against that stereotype,” says Drench. “So, he has to have that little bit more spring, power and athleticism.
“You have to be able to make those saves that would be top-drawer saves. But the way he moves around the goal and the way he plays with his feet makes him the all-round package.
“When he made a save, we’d always joke that he’d spin on his bum and go the other way. I didn’t want to take that away from him because he could cover the goal that quickly.
“You see some of the saves he makes now, he’s saving the ball two or three yards past his post because his feet are that quick. He’s that agile and powerful that when he does take that step, he’s covering more of the goal. He’s making difficult saves look very, very easy.
“And if you ever meet him, he has hands like shovels, they’re massive.”
Brentford and beyond
In 2019, Raya earned a move to the Bees in a £3million transfer.
His performances during the first half of the 2019–20 season earned him a nomination for Goalkeeper of the Year at the 2020 London Football Awards and his 16 clean sheets in league matches during the season saw him share the EFL Golden Glove award with Bartosz Białkowski.
The following season, he was instrumental in his side’s promotion to the top flight recording 17 clean sheets.
However, the most amazing stat was he attempted 300 more passes than any other Championship goalkeeper during that campaign.
His first win as a Premier League player came against Arsenal, which he commemorated with a neck tattoo of the date 13/08/21 of that famous victory.
Raya has since gone on to become a Spain international, making his debut against Albania last year.
His next quest will be to dislodge England’s Ramsdale at the Emirates.
With the confidence (and hands like shovels) he possesses, you wouldn’t put it past him.