“Things change” – Mikel Arteta names the Arsenal star who has become more of a leader

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise onto goalkeeper David Raya for growing into becoming more of a leader in his team.

The Spanish shot-stopper impressed at former club Brentford before joining Arsenal, but he seems to have gone from strength to strength, particularly this season.

As well as being a fine ‘keeper for Arsenal, Raya has started to stand out as a big personality in the Gunners’ squad, and Arteta admits that’s part of the 30-year-old being more settled in his role at the Emirates Stadium now.

Speaking at his press conference earlier today, Arteta was asked about Raya and gave the following response to reporters…

? Mikel Arteta has singled out David Raya for becoming more of a leader at Arsenal ?? pic.twitter.com/5CYIMqwgSN

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) November 7, 2025

“Personally, things change. I think his role is obviously much more settled,” Arteta said.

“But David has always been a really determined, a really confident person. I think he showed that from the very first minute that he joined the club.”

Some might joke that it’s easy being Arsenal’s goalkeeper right now, and it’s probably true that Raya is helped by the fact that he has such a well-drilled back four in front of him.

Arteta has built a really strong defensive line around the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, while others like Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have also been key, as has the protection from the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice from midfield.

Raya has also made some great saves for AFC, though, and certainly seems like a vocal and demanding ‘keeper who knows how to help organise the defenders in front of him.

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