Arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya, has said winning the Premier League has given the squad a major confidence lift ahead of their UEFA Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners face the defending champions on Saturday in Budapest. After three straight runner-up finishes,
Raya, 30, believes this season’s Premier League triumph was essential for the team’s growth.
Arsenal’s league victory was their first in 22 years, and they are still chasing a first-ever Champions League crown.
“It was essential; it’s been the goal ever since I arrived here, and even before that,” Raya told Diario AS (via ESPN) “This club exists to compete and challenge for the top honours, and the Premier League was one of them.
“We’ve achieved it, and now it’s going to give us a huge boost as we head into the Champions League final.”
Raya, who earned the Premier League Golden Glove for a third straight season after keeping 19 clean sheets for the London club, said he is enjoying one of the best periods of his career.
“Personally, I think I’m in a really, really good phase,” the Spain international said. “It’s not just down to me personally; I think the clean sheets we’ve managed are down to the whole team. I’m absolutely delighted to have achieved this record of three consecutive ‘Golden Gloves’, something not many goalkeepers have managed.
“So, I’m absolutely delighted and confident in the work we’ve done as a team. There have been many matches in which we’ve conceded hardly any chances, and that’s helped us win the championship, which was the main thing.”
He also praised Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, who took charge in December 2019 when the club was struggling in mid-table.
“I think he’s done an incredible job,” Raya said. “The way he took over the club when it wasn’t at its best, and how he’s brought it back to life and to the top, especially by winning the Premier League, which we all wanted so much, both us players and the fans, just goes to show the quality he possesses and the sort of person he is.
“He never gives up, and that’s a message he’s always instilled in us.”
