Arsenal signing was given ‘guarantees’ over starting spot by Arteta as January exit looms for £24m ace

David Raya wouldn’t have made the switch to the Emirates this summer without some assurances over his game time according to a top source.

Mikel Arteta made the bold call to sign another goalkeeper this summer to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot.

Raya joined Arsenal on a season-long loan deal from Brentford and the Gunners have the option to make the deal permanent next year for a reported fee of £27million.

Ramsdale has been Arsenal’s established number one goalkeeper since the 2021-22 season which saw him leapfrog Bernd Leno in the pecking oder.

Arteta has insisted that the number one spot is up for grabs between the two goalkeepers and that the starting spot could rotate throughout the season.

However, Ben Jacobs believes that Arteta will have given Raya some assurances over his game time at the start of the season as he believes the plan was to name the Spanish goalkeeper as Arteta’s first choice all along.

“It is no huge surprise David Raya has taken Aaron Ramsdale’s spot in goal,” Jacobs wrote in his SubStack column.

“Mikel Arteta may constantly speak in public about the pair competing on a week-by-week basis, but Raya was told a different story when he joined.

“The Spanish keeper played every game for Brentford last season and wouldn’t have moved without some guarantees he wouldn’t spend much of this season on the bench. The No.1 spot at Arsenal is clearly Raya’s to lose.”

READ MORE: Why it’s tough to see a future where both Ramsdale and Raya remain at Arsenal

Ramsdale could look for a January exit

With Euro 2024 only around the corner, Ramsdale will want to be playing regular first team football in order to claim a spot in Gareth Southgate’s side.

Jordan Pickford has been the preferred choice by Southgate over the years, but Ramsdale has been knocking on the door after a couple of impressive years with Arsenal.

However, sitting on the bench will do his international career no good and he is now being linked with a move away from Arsenal.

According to Football Insider, clubs are ‘queuing up’ to sign Ramsdale in January as the 25-year-old doesn’t seem to be prepared to play second fiddle to Raya.

Jamie Carragher has also weighed in on the situation and he belives a January exit could be the best solution for all parties involved.

“I think he will be [leaving in January], if he got an opportunity at a decent club and Arsenal were happy with that,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “I think Arsenal will be looking at it and thinking they could get a few quid for him.

“You never have two goalkeepers at the same level at a club, especially top keepers. Normally when that happens, it is because they are both not good enough and you can’t decide who you should be picking.”

The Gunners signed Ramsdale back in 2021 for a reported fee of £24m. They would likely make a healthy profit on the goalkeeper if they do decide to sell, although the England international could yet reclaim his starting spot.

READ MORE: David Raya breaks his silence on ousting Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal starting spot