“He’s just a waste of money. Arsenal will never enjoy him”- Man City Boss Pep Guardiola says £27M Arsenal player was a really poor signing and could make Arsenal end this season trophyless is care is not taken
‘Waste of money’… Pep Guardiola says £27m Arsenal player was a really poor signing
The Gunners had been cruising after taking a 3-0 lead in the first half courtesy of an own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and strikes from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. Just after the hour mark, though, Raya inexplicably presented the ball to Cristian Romero to offer Spurs a route back in to the game.
That set up a nervy finish to the game, particularly after Son Heung-min’s late penalty. Arsenal though were able to hold on for a crucial three points that keeps the pressure on Manchester City for the Premier League run in.
Despite the error that almost sparked a potentially devastating comeback for Spurs, Arteta could be seen in a lengthy embrace with Raya after the full time whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“It’s part of football,” the Arsenal boss said of the mistake in his post-match press conference. “What I love is that David does that, he picks his hands up, which are quite heavy, and he was sensational for the last 20 or 25 minutes of the game. This is what I love about our players.”
Raya isn’t necessarily a waste of money at £27m, but he was an unnecessary signing perhaps.
Aaron Ramsdale barely put a foot wrong last season, and the idea that Arsenal needed to go and sign a player like Raya as a so-called upgrade seemed strange at the time and still seems quite strange now.
Raya is going to come under that increased scrutiny due to the fact Ramsdale is such a popular player and did so well last season, and while this game against Porto wasn’t a disaster for Raya, the nitpicking of his performance just goes to show how he is viewed in the wider footballing world right now.
There are questions to be asked around Arsenal’s decision to sign Raya, that’s for sure.
