David Raya has confessed he needed time to “find his feet” at Arsenal as he hopes his impressive showing in the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace can signal the turning point in his career at the Emirates Stadium.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta made the controversial decision to sign Raya from Brentford, benching the popular Aaron Ramsdale in the process, and fans and critics alike have been quick to question Arteta’s call after a series of errors from the new stopper.
However, Raya enjoyed one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt so far on Saturday as he helped inspire a 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old managed five saves, impressed with his feet and played a major role in setting up the third goal for Leandro Trossard.
“A pre-assist” Raya proclaimed after the game. “There have been a few ways this season that we have countered from [our own] goal, so it was a nice one to score.
“I think you need time to adapt to a new team, new club, new facilities and new demands.
“It’s not easy, but I think I am finding my feet and I am finding myself now. It was really important for everybody to win the game and of course I am feeling part of the team.”
Raya was eager to praise the impact of Arsenal’s warm weather training camp in Dubai for helping to refresh the side after a run of just one win from seven games in all competitions.
“It was a good break, it was a good way to reconnect with the players and the staff and a good way to train,” he said. “We trained really, really hard and we focused on the things that we had to to improve.
“We have shown today we are capable of beating anybody at the highest level. It’s a point on the table to say that we are here and to fight for everything.
“In a season you always get bad periods and every team has bad periods. We went through a tricky period that last few weeks. So we got our feedback and we won the game today.
“I think we needed a win like this. The way we played, the way we we scored the goals, the way we defended – we think the whole match was superb.
“Obviously there are things that we have to improve, as always, but I think the game overall was really good. So the main thing was the three points and I think we fully deserved the win with the way we played.”
