Arsenal's Mikel Arteta sheds light on benching Aaron Ramsdale for David Raya

David Raya has started the last 2 games for the gunners

As the team gets ready for the North London derby, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended his decision to bench Aaron Ramsdale in preference for David Raya.

The manager shocked many when he benched Ramsdale in favour of summer acquisition Raya, who earned a commanding 4-0 victory over PSV by keeping two clean sheets in his past two starts for Arsenal.

After the game, Arteta acknowledged that in the past, he had regretted not switching goalkeepers during games, but said going forward, he would no longer be hesitant to do so if he thought it would be in the team's best interest.

Ramsdale has been accused of showing "disrespect" in reaction to Arteta's choices, and it has been suggested that the England international may want to leave Arsenal. Despite Chelsea's competitors keeping tabs on the situation, Ramsdale is willing to battle for the future. 

Arteta refused to reply to two more inquiries regarding Ramsdale, indicating that she was eager to end the conversation.

When asked if he was shocked by the reaction to his choice, Arteta said at the news conference on Thursday:

“Difficult with every player but he has been very supportive and really, really good around the place. That is what I expect from every single player as when you are on the field, there is someone else who is not”.

Next up for Arsenal is the Sunday, September 24 north London derby against Tottenham. It will be intriguing to observe if Raya retains his position or if Arteta launches Ramsdale in its place.

With 35.97 passes completed per 90, Raya's passing statistics are particularly remarkable compared to Ramsdale's 25.41 attempts per 90 previous year.

This is supported by the touches measure, where Raya's 45.32 is significantly greater than Ramsdale's 31.62, demonstrating Raya's comfort level handling the ball at his feet, a quality Arteta demands in his custodian.