At a Glance:
- Arsenal are on the cusp of winning a historic Premier League and Champions League double.
- A number of Gunners stars have enjoyed excellent seasons.
- Micah Richards has highlighted one of Mikel Arteta’s players he believes has been overlooked.
Arsenal are certain to have a number of players pushing for a place in the Premier League Team of the Year at the end of this campaign, and Micah Richards has subsequently revealed his belief that the Gunners have an overlooked candidate for Player of the Year.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on the brink of winning a historic double. The Spaniard’s team reached the Champions League final on Tuesday night by beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates, and they now know that they will face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest later this month.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are just three wins from winning the Premier League title, with games against West Ham United, Burnley and Crystal Palace the only things standing in the way of glory. Thus, it’s not surprising that a number of Arsenal players are starting to earn plaudits from sections of the media.
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Micah Richards says David Raya should be nominated for Player of the Year
Bukayo Saka is garnering praise for his impact since returning from injury for Arsenal. Meanwhile, the likes of Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have regularly been cited as the key figures for the North London outfit this term.
The aforementioned trio are routinely the mooted names for Player of the Year candidates, with few other members of Arteta’s squad receiving serious recognition. However, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, pundit Micah Richards claimed that David Raya should be in the conversation at the very least.
“But to add to that, I have to add David Raya,” he said.
“I think all the players for Arsenal have got over the line in terms of staying within the title, getting to the Champions League final.
“They wouldn’t be there without David Raya. Some of the stops that he’s made. He should be nominated for Player of the Year as well.”
How good has David Raya been this season for Arsenal?
Manchester City shipping three goals at the Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier this week was enough to confirm Raya as the Golden Glove winner for the third consecutive season. In 2023/24, the Spaniard kept 16 clean sheets, three more than second-placed Jordan Pickford.
Last term, he shared the Golden Glove with Matz Sels, keeping the opposition out in 13 separate games. This campaign, he’s already usurped the two previous seasons’ tallies.
He currently stands on 17 clean sheets, and still has the opportunity to increase this to 20. While the resolute defence in front of him is as much responsible for this as he is, Raya has also enjoyed another outstanding season.
Not only has he been typically excellent with his distribution and in his claiming of crosses, but he’s also made some outstanding saves. From his spectacular reflex save from Yankuba Minteh back in December, to his stunning clawed save from Alejandro Garnacho’s cross back in March, he’s been at his very, very best from a shot-stopping standpoint.
