Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up on two of the most defining transfers of the club’s Premier League title-winning era, admitting the decision to sign David Raya was initially difficult to justify internally while the arrival of Declan Rice sent a powerful message across English football.
After ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League crown, Arteta reflected on the bold recruitment calls that helped transform Arsenal into champions.
The Spanish coach admitted the pursuit of Raya from Brentford raised eyebrows because the Gunners already had Aaron Ramsdale as their established No.1.
Despite the criticism, Arteta insisted he was convinced a different goalkeeper profile was necessary to elevate Arsenal to the next level.
“That’s a good example of what a manager needs,” Arteta said on The Overlap.
“So I was very convinced that we had to make a change. Not because Aaron didn’t have the quality, because I believed to go to the next level that we needed a different profile of goalkeeper.
“It was very difficult to explain, difficult to explain upstairs, externally. It could maybe not make sense. That’s when you need a sporting director, in this case Edu to say, ‘Mikel, are you 100% sure?’
“I went through it with him again and again. ‘You know you’re going to have an issue.’ I know. ‘Mikel, you’re going to expose yourself.’ I know. ‘You really want to do this?’ Yes, please do.
“Edu really convinced the board because they need to be convinced and to understand. It’s not, ‘Mikel says this, OK let’s do it.’ It doesn’t work like this.
“And then it has to work. And then Inaki [Cana, goalkeeping coach] played a pivotal role because he knew him from Brentford and many years.
“I wasn’t sure if it was going to work or not but [I knew] David is going to present himself and dedicate himself to the cause and he’s going to be an incredible ambassador for the club. I was sure.”
Raya has since justified Arteta’s faith, becoming one of the league’s standout goalkeepers and winning three consecutive Premier League Golden Gloves during Arsenal’s rise back to the summit of English football.
Arteta also highlighted Rice’s blockbuster arrival from West Ham United as another transformative moment for the club.
The England international joined Arsenal in a club-record deal worth more than £100 million, beating strong interest from Manchester City in the process.
According to Arteta, the signing was about more than football ability — it was a declaration of Arsenal’s renewed ambition.
“It was a big moment. We are constantly sending messages, whether we want or not. To the people in the organization, to the supporters, to our opponents. And that was a strong message.
“[It said] we are here to go another level, we are on another level financially, we are on another level with ambition of the players we recruited, the profile of the players. And I think a big club needs to make that sort of statement.”
Arsenal now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain as Arteta looks to crown a historic season with European glory.
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