Luton key player has already made his Arsenal debut in secret 3-0 friendly win over march
David Raya made his Arsenal debut in a 3-0 friendly win over Luton Town on Thursday night that saw Leandro Trossard score twice for the Gunners.
WHAT HAPPENED? According to Daily Mail, the Spanish goalkeeper was in action in an Arsenal shirt at London Colney against Luton in a game that was divided into three 30-minute periods. The 27-year-old joined the Gunners on an initial loan deal that will cost £3 million ($3.8m), with an option to buy for £27m ($34m).
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Raya was on the pitch for 60 minutes and hardly put a foot wrong as he kept a clean sheet in what was, albeit unofficial, his first outing for the Gunners. Trossard was twice on target while Bukayo Saka scored one himself to seal a 3-0 win over the Premier League newcomers, who don’t have a game in England’s top flight this weekend. Moreover, Mikel Arteta also fielded Oleksandr Zinchenko and Reiss Nelson, who made their comebacks from respective injuries.
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AND WHAT’S MORE: Raya will be competing with Aaron Ramsdale for the No.1 spot at the Emirates, with Arteta having given away no clues as to who will start against Crystal Palace on Monday.
WHAT NEXT? Raya will be hoping to be selected from the start when Arsenal are back in competitive action against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday night.
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ARSENAL GEAR UP FOR PALACE CLASH BY BEATING LUTON AT COLNEY
Arsenal beat Luton Town 3-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney yesterday afternoon.
Details are thin on the ground but it’s reported that the game was split into 30-minute thirds and that David Raya made his debut, Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko featured and most of the first team squad got minutes.
Leandro Trossard netted a brace and Bukayo Saka grabbed the other in what sounds like a convincing win.
Luton don’t play this weekend having requested a postponement earlier in the summer so that they can bring Kenilworth Road up to the required standards for Premier League football.
Rob Edwards’ side opened the campaign with a 4-1 defeat to Brighton.
Arsenal’s second game of the season takes place on Monday against Crystal Palace and Mikel Arteta has urged his players to be more clinical.
Despite dominating for long periods of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, the Gunners conceded late and faced nervy moments ensuring they didn’t drop points.
“When you play games of that type, it has to finish three, four, five,” said Arteta on Thursday.
“We didn’t do it and that’s why in the Premier League if you give something to the opponent, it’s always going to be a nervy ending unfortunately.
He added: “We conceded [a chance] in the first half that was directly after a second ball they hooked and they are through.
“Then they countered after a set play, with both coming from a goal kick and the one coming from a corner, but after that nothing else.
“When you dominate the game as much as we did the other day and the situations that you have, the final pass is still not neat enough or good enough to finish the actions better. That’s what we have to improve.”
