As Arsenal head into their final Premier League game of the 2024/25 season, David Raya will hope that the Gunners end it in style to boost his quest to win back-to-back Golden Gloves.
Raya led the division last term by keeping 16 clean sheets to claim the annual award for the keeper with the most clean sheets to cap a successful first season in north London.
And after he kept Newcastle United at bay on Sunday by producing a string of excellent stops to help his side to a 1-0 win, he moved level with Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels on 13 shutouts to be in contention for winning the award again 12 months on.
The pair are the only two players who could take home the trophy, with the Golden Glove shared if they both finish on the same number of clean sheets.
Raya, who has played in every league game this term, will hope to move to 14 against Southampton on the final day, while Sels will be part of the Forest side who host Chelsea at the City Ground in a shootout for Champions League qualification.
Should Sels concede against the Blues, then Raya will at least have a share of the award, which would see him become the first goalkeeper to win it in successive seasons since Manchester City’s Ederson in 2021/22.
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No Gunners custodian has achieved that before, but two others have added their name to the roll of honour since the accolade was created in 2004/05.
Wojciech Szczesny’s 16 clean sheets in 2013/14 saw him tie with Chelsea’s Petr Cech, while following his move to north London, the Czech stopper was the winner two seasons later when he also recorded 16.
Should he leave St Mary’s Stadium without conceding, then Raya will also reach a half-century of Premier League clean sheets since debuting in the division back at the start of 2021/22 for Brentford.
Only two other keepers have kept more in the top-flight since the Spaniard made his bow, and he is hot on their heels as he aims to overhaul them when the action resumes in August.
One stat that does look to be safely secured is that Arsenal will end the campaign with the best defensive record in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s men have had their defence breached just 33 times, seven fewer than our nearest challenger Liverpool.
Aside from last season’s incredible tally of 29 concessions, you have to go back to 2007/08 for a better defensive Arsenal record, when Arsene Wenger’s team let in just 31 goals.
arsenal.com
