Peter Schmeichel has said Arsenal would have been 'nowhere near the Premier League title' without goalkeeper David Raya. The Manchester United legend made the comments on The Overlap Daily, sponsored by Sky Bet, praising the Gunners' shot-stopper for his crucial saves during their title-winning campaign.
Raya's Impact on Arsenal's Title Win
Mikel Arteta guided Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, finishing seven points above Manchester City. The Gunners also reached the Champions League final and conceded just 27 goals across the 38-game campaign. Raya, a three-time Premier League Golden Glove winner, has established himself as one of the world's best goalkeepers since joining Arteta's squad in 2024.
Schmeichel admitted he was surprised by Raya's arrival, given Aaron Ramsdale's performances at the time. 'I have to give Mikel Arteta some credit, because when Aaron Ramsdale was playing for Arsenal, I thought he did really well,' he said. 'I liked his aggression, flying out and all of that, so I was surprised they brought another goalkeeper in, and that it was him [Raya].'
Schmeichel's Praise and Warning
The former Denmark international recalled an interview with Raya after Arsenal won the title, telling him: 'Just so you know, if you had not been in that goal, you would have been nowhere near the championship.' Schmeichel added: 'I absolutely mean that, because he came up with all the important saves.'
He highlighted Raya's improvement in coming for crosses and his ability to make big saves at crucial times, saying: 'And he's got to the point where, when there's a chance, you think, "No, he's going to save it, it's not going to be a goal." You have that feeling before it happens, and that's good going.'
Arsenal's Strong Start to Title Defence
Arsenal have won six of their opening seven games in their title defence, conceding just five goals – the fewest in the division. They looked set to drop points at Nottingham Forest on Sunday before Noni Madueke's deflected strike earned a late win.
Arteta described the victory as 'big' and noted the difficulty of playing at Forest, saying: 'A win that we didn't have in the last two seasons at a really tough place.' He added: 'Almost everything has to be perfect, but you even need to take in the chaotic moments, which we had in the first half a few, but we didn't hit the target.'
Arsenal now return to Champions League action with a trip to Bayern Munich.
