Arsenal have dipped back into the transfer market for another signing ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. The Gunners are set to sign goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford.

Fabrizio Romano reported that the two clubs had reached an agreement for the Bees’ shot-stopper on Tuesday. And according to the Guardian, the Spaniard is set to cost up to £30 million.

He is something of a coup for the Community Shield winners, given that so many other clubs were interested in securing his services. Tottenham Hotspur were interested in him earlier in the transfer window, while The Times reported that Bayern Munich were considering a move for Raya as they search for Manuel Neuer’s long-term replacement.

He will be Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer, following Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber to the Emirates. Mikel Arteta is determined to make additions who will prevent Arsenal collapsing this season like they did in the last one.

However, there is no guarantee that Raya will go straight into the starting lineup. After all, Aaron Ramsdale has impressed for the north London club since joining in 2021. He kept 14 clean sheets in the league last year, the joint-second highest in the division, and was a key reason why the Gunners came so close to lifting the Premier League title.

But should Arsenal’s newest recruit automatically become first-choice? We have taken a look at the stats, using Squawka’s comparison tool to see how each goalkeeper performed last season and to see if Raya is the superior goalkeeper.

Raya's stats compared to Ramsdale's

Going off numbers alone, Raya should definitely be starting for Arteta’s side. He beats Ramsdale in nearly every category based on Premier League statistics from last season.

Looking initially at their passing metrics, although Ramsdale is slightly more accurate with his passing generally, Raya is further ahead when it comes to playing long-distance passes.

His long pass accuracy percentage of 42.09% is substantially higher than Ramsdale’s 29.24%, and Raya also attempted more long passes per match last campaign. His pin-point distribution makes him a valuable asset in attacking build-up and will allow Arsenal to progress the ball quickly over long distances. This will help when they are looking to launch counterattacks through the likes of Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka.

But how good a goalkeeper is with his feet means nothing if he does not keep the ball out of the net. Fortunately for Arsenal fans, Raya is adept at both.

The 27-year-old made 1.6 more saves per game last season than Ramsdale, which is unsurprising given that the Englishman was playing in a team that came under less pressure. But Raya's save numbers per match inside the box and total save percentage are very encouraging.

Brentford's goalkeeper averaged 2.4 saves inside the box every game last year, while Arsenal’s current number one only stopped roughly 1.9 every game. The metric shows that Raya possesses good reaction times and reflexes when somebody takes a shot from close range.

Additionally, the Spaniard’s save percentage of 77% is just over 8% higher than Ramsdale’s. That statistic, importantly, is also the highest percentage recorded by a Premier League goalkeeper last season (FBref).

The only other area where Ramsdale excels compared to Raya is when it comes to penalties, with the Englishman faring better for both penalties faced and penalties saved.

Raya’s numbers compared to other elite Premier League goalkeepers

While Raya’s numbers stack up well compared to Arsenal’s current number one, it is also worth noting that they compare well to two other top Premier League goalkeepers.

Alisson and Ederson are widely as two of the finest ‘keepers in the division. The former was voted Liverpool’s Player of the Season last campaign, with his heroics between the posts keeping their goals against total down a fair bit.

Ederson, meanwhile, is excellent with the ball at his feet and has been integral to City’s build-up play for many years. He has essentially played as an extra outfield player at points for Pep Guardiola’s side since joining in 2017.

When comparing their numbers though, Raya more than holds his own. Ederson is unsurprisingly the king of long-range passes and distribution generally, triumphing over both the Brentford and Liverpool number ones.

Arsenal’s new signing takes the crown when it comes to saves though. He made more saves per game both inside and outside the box than any of the other three men. Again, that is unsurprising given Brentford generally came under more pressure than any of the elite English sides.

But only Alisson gets close to him for save percentage, with Raya’s metric for last season five per cent higher than the Liverpool shot-stopper and an astonishing 18% higher than Ederson too.

We will only know how good Raya is for an elite club when he is given a chance for Arsenal next season. But considering his numbers, perhaps Arteta would be better off starting him in Premier League games.

Ramsdale open to the competition

An immediate change in goal will most likely not happen though. Ramsdale has performed well as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper over the last two years now, and Arteta is unlikely to drop him from the starting lineup without reason.

Additionally, Raya’s transfer has not yet been confirmed by the club and he has not even had an opportunity to learn how Arsenal want to play. It's unlikely that we'll see him in the team against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 12 August.

But might we see him claim that spot in the coming weeks? Reports from Sky Sports suggest that there is no guaranteed number one next season, and that both men will be expected to challenge each other during the campaign.

Arteta will likely be hoping that each man can push the other to greater heights. And Ramsdale has spoken about Raya’s arrival openly, saying that the competition is something that he is welcoming.

“Bring it on,” the 25-year-old told ITV Sport ahead of Arsenal’s Community Shield match against Man City, per the Metro.

“Nothing comes easy in football. But also at the same time you need to move along and adapt as well.

“I’ve done it to other people when I’ve moved to clubs. I’m not going to be thinking that it’s never going to happen to me.

“So, yeah, I think if it happens, it happens and then we’ll fight and we’ll make each other the best version of ourselves because that’s what the manager is telling us as well.

“I’m sure whoever plays, me, Matt [Turner], whoever comes in, the goalkeeping union, people will laugh at but it’s a real thing, and your individual disappointment will go away and you’ll put the team first and you’ll put that goalkeeper first as well.”

Time will tell who Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper will be moving forward. But they are blessed to have two excellent goalkeepers at their disposal for the new season. It could yet be the difference between second place and Premier League glory.