Schmeichel: Arsenal would be 'nowhere near' title without Raya

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Peter Schmeichel has credited David Raya as the difference between Arsenal winning the Premier League title and falling short, declaring the Gunners would have been 'nowhere near the championship' without their goalkeeper's performances last season.

Arsenal ended an agonising wait for the title last term, finishing seven points clear of Manchester City to win the league for the first time since 2004. Mikel Arteta's side also reached the Champions League final, built on the back of a defensive record that saw them concede just 27 goals in 38 games.

Raya, who joined Arsenal in 2024 and has since won the Premier League Golden Glove three times, has been central to that defensive solidity. Speaking to The Overlap Daily, sponsored by Sky Bet, the Manchester United legend did not hold back on the goalkeeper's importance.

'David Raya has done really well,' Schmeichel said. 'I was really surprised. I have to give Mikel Arteta some credit, because when Aaron Ramsdale was playing for Arsenal, I thought he did really well. I liked his aggression, flying out and all of that, so I was surprised they brought another goalkeeper in, and that it was him.'

Schmeichel revealed he had put the point directly to Raya himself after Arsenal's title triumph. 'I interviewed him last season when they won the championship, and I said, 'Just so you know, if you had not been in that goal, you would have been nowhere near the championship.' I absolutely mean that, because he came up with all the important saves.'

Raya's role in Arteta's system

The former United goalkeeper pointed to the tactical trade off that comes with Arsenal's attacking approach under Arteta. 'In order to win the Premier League, you have to take chances and commit more people going forward. That means defending with fewer people, and the chances that came from that, he was making big saves at crucial times.'

Schmeichel also singled out a specific area of improvement in Raya's game. 'One of the things where he has massively improved is coming for crosses. And he's got to the point where, when there's a chance, you think, 'No, he's going to save it, it's not going to be a goal.' You have that feeling before it happens, and that's good going.'

Momentum continues into new season

Arsenal have made a strong start to their title defence, winning six of their opening seven Premier League games and conceding just five goals, the fewest in the division. That run included a late win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, settled by Noni Madueke's deflected strike after Arsenal struggled to break down a stubborn home side.

Arteta described it as 'a win that we didn't have in the last two seasons at a really tough place,' adding that his side had to show composure and discipline to see out a difficult afternoon at the City Ground.

Arsenal's focus now turns to the Champions League, with a trip to Bayern Munich up next as Arteta's side look to maintain momentum on multiple fronts.