Arsenal shot-stopper David Raya won the 2023/24 Castrol Golden Glove award after keeping his 15th Premier League clean sheet of the season in a 3-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth on matchday 36. The 28-year-old goalkeeper saw off competition from his nearest rival Everton’s Jordan Pickford who has kept 13 clean sheets as at the time of writing to claim the prize in his first season with the Gunners.
The Arsenal goalie managed to achieve this remarkable feat despite missing the first four matches of the season after joining the North London side on loan from Brentford. He kept his first shut-out in Arsenal colors on his debut against Everton.
Raya began his senior career at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Brentford in 2019 where he put up impressive displays in goal, earning him plaudits for his shot-stopping ability, command of the box, and distribution skills. His performances for the Bees caught the eye of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who went ahead to secure the goalkeeper’s signature in the summer of 2023 to provide competition for Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
Raya has gone on to establish himself as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper in his debut season, displacing English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. His ability to command his area with authority and make crucial saves when called upon has also brought some sense of assurance and solidity to the Arsenal backline. It is no surprise Arsenal tickets have seen an increase in demand since the start of 2024.
Arsenal’s Almost Impenetrable Defense
The defensive partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães has played a fundamental role in Arsenal’s Premier League title charge. The Gunners have conceded a significantly lesser number of shots compared to other teams in the league and it is no surprise that it has benefited the man in between the sticks as well.
For most goalkeepers, the importance of a really solid backline cannot be overemphasized as a porous defense exposes the man between the sticks to too many shots from opposition attackers which inevitably increases the chances of goal concessions.
Under Arteta’s instructions, the Gunners adopt an almost perfect out-of-possession structure characterized by an aggressive and suffocating press. Arsenal boasts the Premier League’s fewest goals conceded this season, tallying 28. Their Expected Goals Against (xGA) stand at a minimal 18.52, with their xGA total for 2024 registering at a mere 1.90. Remarkably, this figure is over three-and-a-half times lower than that of the next-best team, Manchester City.
Generally, Arteta’s Arsenal employ a high-intensity style of pressing, albeit with a strategic approach. Unlike the relentless pressing styles of teams like Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, the Gunners have specific triggers that prompt them to transition into an aggressive man-to-man pressing system in a bid to apply pressure, stifle opponents, and regain possession effectively.
Statistics show that Arsenal holds the second position in the Premier League for possessions won in the final third, recording 173 instances. They rank second for shot-ending high turnovers, totaling 52 occurrences, and fourth for the total number of pressed sequences, which stands at 380.
How Raya’s Season Compares to that of Past Golden Glove Winners
The quality of David Raya as a shot-stopper is not in any doubt. However, the Spaniard has had a relatively uneventful campaign between the sticks for the Gunners this season, thanks to Arteta’s masterful defensive tactics.
This season in the Premier League, Raya has faced just 65 shots, out of which he has made 42 saves to tally a save percentage of 67.7% in 30 league appearances for the Gunners, culminating in 15 clean sheets as of the time of writing. Let’s take a look at how these stats compare to that of some recent past winners.
David de Gea won the Golden Glove award for the 2022/23 Premier League season as Manchester United goalkeeper. In 38 league appearances for the Red Devils last season, De Gea faced 144 shots and made 101 saves to tally a save percentage of 70.14%, keeping 17 clean sheets in the process.
Ederson Moraes of Manchester City and Alisson Becker of Liverpool were both recipients of the Golden Glove award for the 2021/22 Premier League season. The Brazilians made 37 and 36 appearances respectively for their respective teams. Ederson made a total of 60 saves from 86 shots on his goal to tally a save percentage of 69.77% while Alisson made 76 saves from 100 shots on his goal to tally a save percentage of 76.00%. They each managed 20 shutouts.
Ederson won the Golden Glove award for the 2020/21 Premier League season, making 36 league appearances for Manchester City and recording 66 saves from the 94 shots he faced to tally a save percentage of 70.21%. The Brazilian shot-stopper managed to keep 19 clean sheets.
From the above numbers, it is easy to tell that Raya has enjoyed an easier run-in in goal, compared to recent Golden Glove winners. However, it is not to say that Raya is not deserving of the award in any way.
Other Worthy Contenders
Raya’s clean sheet tally and Arsenal’s defensive solidity are the all-important factors that eventually saw him receive the Golden Glove award ahead of competition from Everton’s Jordan Pickford, Manchester City’s Ederson Moraes, and Fulham’s Bernd Leno.
Pickford has managed 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances for Everton this season, recording 113 saves from 159 shots to tally a save percentage of 74.2%. Leno has kept 10 clean sheets in 37 appearances for Fulham this season, making 124 saves from 175 shots faced totaling a 72.0% save percentage.
Other goalkeepers with a more impressive save percentage than Premier League Golden Glove winner Raya this season include Jose Sa of Wolves, Andre Onana of Manchester United, Alisson Becker of Liverpool, and Alphonse Areola of West Ham United.
While David Raya has been impressive for the Gunners in his debut season, whether or not he deserved the Golden Glove award is subjective and open to interpretation. At the end of the day, every Golden Glove winner is always reflective of the defence in front of him and that has strongly helped Raya.
