insists he cannot wait to become a fully fledged member of ’s goalkeeping union after signing for the club, initially on loan, from Brentford.
and will compete with international for the number one spot.
Ramsdale has been a key component of a side that has made rapid strides under Mikel Arteta and the 25-year-old produced an outstanding display in a fortnight ago.
Arteta, however, wants increased competition in every area of his squad and Raya will now compete with Ramsdale for the No.1 spot following.
Raya insists his rivalry with his new teammate will only help push Arsenal closer to achieving their goals and he is relishing the challenge ahead of him.
‘I can’t wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going,’ he said.
‘That’s a tight group that we’re always going to get along and push each other, so that’s going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can’t wait to get going and meet the lads.
‘One of the challenges is to get used to the style and the patterns, and get to know the players as soon as possible to get that bond from the beginning.
‘Knowing the players and the staff, I think they’re going to put me in the right direction and I’ll fit in straight away.’
Raya will encounter at least one familiar face at the club’s training ground in goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana who he worked with during their time together in west London.
He added: ‘Inaki is very demanding but he’s a very good goalie coach. He’s always onto you but he only wants you to be the best. I felt so much better when I started training with him and in the space of six months, he changed my vision of a goalkeeper and the way I played back at Blackburn to how I played at Brentford.
‘He was the first one to change my mindset to see different aspects of goalkeeping.
‘I can’t wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going. That’s a tight group that we’re always going to get along and push each other, so that’s going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can’t wait to get going and meet the lads.
‘One of the challenges is to get used to the style and the patterns, and get to know the players as soon as possible to get that bond from the beginning. Knowing the players and the staff, I think they’re going to put me in the right direction and I’ll fit in straight away.’
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