David Raya explains turning point as he breaks Arsenal club record | OneFootball

David Raya has set a new club record for the most clean sheets in a goalkeeper’s first 50 Premier League games, and he says a game last season was his turning point.

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Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya kept a clean sheet against Ipswich Town on Friday, his 23rd in 50 league matches for the Gunners. In doing so, the Spaniard broke David Seaman’s club record for the most clean sheets in their first half a century of Premier League appearances.

Raya becomes the eighth goalkeeper to hit that milestone of 50 Premier League games for Arsenal, following Seaman (325), Lehmann (148), Szczesny (132), Cech (110), Almunia (109), Leno (101), and Ramsdale (78).

But none of the other seven kept as many clean sheets in their early days as Mikel Arteta’s current shot-stopper.

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Raya is the joint-leader for Premier League clean sheets this season, level with Jordan Pickford of Everton and Matz Sels of Nottingham Forest. After winning the Golden Glove last season, he’s on track to contest the award again in 2024/25.

Yet things didn’t always look so rosy for Raya at Arsenal, and he revealed this week that last season’s game against Luton Town was somewhat of a turning point.

“The Luton game away, it was one of my worst games in my career,” Raya admitted. “From there, I think I tried to turn it around. I realised I wasn’t in the right space, maybe like mentally and physically.

“When you are at the lowest, the only way is up. That was my mentality just to keep working.”

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Arsenal made defensive improvements after the three goals they conceded against Luton, and the Gunners haven’t let in three goals in any game since. The goalkeeper was certainly a big part of that.

As mentioned, Raya ultimately won the 2023/24 Golden Glove, and he’ll want to add another to his collection this season.