Mikel Arteta shares a surprising reaction to David Raya’s dream of playing in La Liga
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had a fun laugh about David Raya’s future, saying Raya “has to play in Spain at some point”—but only on the beach with his friends!
Earlier this week, Raya told Spanish newspaper Marca that he’d “love” to play in La Liga someday when asked about returning to Spain. “Yes, I would love to,” he said. “I’d like to try La Liga. For now, I’m very happy here at Arsenal, but I’d definitely like to experience the Spanish league.”
Raya’s contract with Arsenal runs until June 2028, and he added, “It’s a very competitive league. Maybe in the future I could play for a Spanish club. I’m Spanish and would love to play there—that’s for sure.”
A few days later, during his press conference before their Premier League game against Everton, Arteta was asked about Raya’s comments. The Arsenal boss quickly brushed off any talk of Raya leaving and cracked a cheeky joke.
“I think David has to play in Spain one day… on the beach, with his friends, in the summer,” Arteta said with a smile. “But for the next few years, he needs to play here for Arsenal.”
The 31-year-old goalkeeper had probably his best season in 2025-26, helping Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
Raya also won the Golden Glove and was key to Arsenal reaching the Carabao Cup and Champions League finals. Talking about his form, Raya said, “I believe I’ve had a perfect year. Maybe the only thing missing was playing in the World Cup. Every year since I joined Arsenal, I’ve improved, and I hope I keep doing that.
“But I truly believe this year, winning the Premier League and playing a big part in the league, Champions League, and Community Shield… it’s been my best season as a pro, making an impact and lifting trophies.”
Looking ahead, Raya is focused on helping Arsenal keep their Premier League title and go even further.
“I want to win it all,” he said. “We want to be favourites, and that’s our goal. Hopefully, this year we can do better than last season and win the Champions League, but there’s still a long way to go.”