What makes David Raya special? Top qualities explained as ‘engaged’ Arsenal No.1 is compared to ‘ranters & ravers’ such as England star Jordan Pickford

Raya does not form part of the “ranter and raver” club, with the 30-year-old custodian preferring to let performances speak for themselves.

He has become a three-time Golden Glove winner in the English top-flight - with the potential there for record books to be rewritten in that department during the 2026-27 campaign.

Arsenal are hoping to successfully defend the first domestic crown that they have captured since the fabled ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04, while also chasing down a history-making first Champions League triumph. Raya will have an important role to play between the sticks at home and abroad.

He is considered to form part of the Premier League goalkeeping elite, potentially occupying top spot on that list, and has become the most reliable last line of defence for Mikel Arteta at Emirates Stadium.

What makes him so consistent - particularly when competing for a top club that can leave him with little to do for long periods of time? When that question was put to Stack, the ex-Gunners keeper - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of casino.net - said: “If you watch Raya really closely, he finds ways to stay busy.

“So even if the ball is in and around the opposition box, it'll be close to the halfway line or close to the semi-circle, he’ll be working and moving in relation to where the ball's going to be. He’ll be anticipating where the ball's going to be played, whether it's down the side or over the top.

“He's constantly thinking about the game in front. He's never, ever stood on the edge of his box waiting for something to happen. He always finds himself in a position where he's on the front foot, expecting what's coming next and sniffs out danger really well. I think that's probably one reason why he is so good because his concentration levels are so high.

“I would compare him to a completely different type of goalkeeper, let's say Pickford. I think for me, Pickford tries to keep his concentration level high through his communication and sometimes it's his mannerisms and his behaviour. I think he uses that as a trigger to keep himself engaged in the game.

“Whereas, I think Raya does it from more of an actual playing perspective in terms of his movement, rather than his language or his body language as such.

“The one thing I would say about Raya, and you could say this about probably arguably the best in the world - [Gianluigi] Donnarumma I see something very similar to Raya. I don't know if it's a continental thing because we've had it with [Joe] Hart, he gets very high, he gets very emotional. We have it with Pickford, I see a bit of that with [James] Trafford at times. When you look at Raya, you look at how calm and calculated he is - same with Donnarumma, I would put it in that bracket. They're not ranters and they're not ravers.

“They're not like the Schmeichels of that day. Dave Seaman was very much like that. He was very calm and I think sometimes it's really, really important if you're a goalkeeper not to get too emotionally high and I think Raya is very, very good at that.”

Arsenal have found full value for money in the £27 million ($36m) deal that brought Raya, following an initial loan spell, onto their books in the summer of 2024. Having initially faced competition from Aaron Ramsdale, he has reached 147 appearances for north London heavyweights.

There is the promise of much more to come, having extended his contract through to 2028, with collective and individual honours being targeted. The Gunners will open their 2026-27 campaign on Sunday when facing Manchester City in the Community Shield, before starting their title defence at home to Coventry on August 21.