Arsenal star has proven Gary Neville wrong by becoming the best in the world

Arsenal have made a lot of great additions to the club this year.

The likes of Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Victor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, for example, have significantly strengthened Mikel Arteta’s first team.

However, the powers that be have also made some excellent additions off the field, most notably new sporting director Indira Berta.

The Italian helped oversee an impressive summer transfer window and performed incredibly well on the contract front, and now appears to be ensuring that the first-team star, a star whom Gary Neville once criticized, will receive a deal that reflects his importance.

The magic of Berta’s contract at Arsenal

The first piece of work Bertha completed after being appointed Arsenal’s new sporting director was to tie down Gabriel Magalhaes to a new long-term contract.

The Brazilian giant signed a new four-year contract in early June that saw his weekly wage increase to £150,000, and while that is a massive sum of money, it is more than worth it, as he has helped the club produce their best defense for two seasons in a row, and possibly a third this year.

Shortly after former LOSC Lille star agreed new terms, Hill End gem Myles Lewis Skelly was putting pen to paper on a long-term contract of his own, running until 2030, which he is fully entitled to after an outstanding season that saw him make 39 first-team appearances, including ten in the Champions League, two against Real Madrid.

The next renewal came two months later, and after much speculation, most of which appeared to be unfounded, Ethan Nwaneri followed fellow academy graduate by agreeing to a five-year contract with the club.

The 18-year-old did not play as many minutes as the full-back last season, but he made 37 appearances and, importantly, scored nine goals and provided two assists, which is incredibly impressive for a teenager.

Finally, the latest contract extension that Berta has overseen is that of William Saliba.

Arguably more importantly, the French centre-back is considered by many to be one of the best players in the world and has been consistently linked with a move to Real Madrid over the past two years.

With him and Gabriel at the back, there is no reason why the Gunners can’t win every competition they enter.

Interestingly, although four contracts were extended, two players simply saw their salaries increase; Leandro Trossard and someone who went from a potential problem to a global problem.

Arsenal star who is now ‘the best in the world’

Like Trossard in the summer, David Raya has reportedly been handed a pay rise by Arsenal, and based on his performances over the past two years, it would be hard to argue he doesn’t deserve it.

However, while he is now practically irreplaceable and one of the most important players in Arteta’s squad, this was not always the case.

For example, when he was initially signed on loan from Brentford in the summer of 2023, pundits and fans alike were somewhat puzzled by the move, if not outright dismissive, as Aaron Ramsdale was the club’s number one player at that point.

Former goalkeeper turned pundit Shay Given did not hold back in his assessment of the move, claiming the manager was “signing a problem”.

However, it quickly became clear that the Spaniard would be the club’s new striker, but that didn’t stop the criticism whenever he made a mistake or looked a little shaky.

For example, in the return match against Manchester City in October that year, Neville criticized the Barcelona-born goalkeeper, claiming: “I can see a goalkeeper a mile away being a nervous wreck, and David Raya is like that at the moment.”

Fortunately, Arteta took little notice of the outside noise, and the former Bees keeper eventually settled in at the Emirates Stadium and went from a potential problem to someone who has kept the north London side in a number of games over the years.

Furthermore, he won the Gold Glove in his first season and repeated the feat last season, and looks likely to do the same again this year, as he has conceded just three goals in seven matches.

Furthermore, FBref ranks the 30-year-old in the top 3% of Premier League goalkeepers in terms of saves per 90, so his excellent clean sheet record isn’t just down to the players in front of him.

With all that in mind, it’s very hard to disagree with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley that Arsenal’s unreal number one is now “in the conversation about the best in the world”.

In the end, although an extra year or two would have been ideal, Raya is fully deserving of his salary increase, and as long as he continues to play the way he is, he could get a Premier League title as well as a third set of Golden Gloves come May.