“He is the hero, isn’t he”- Jamie Carragher says Arsenal star has 'repaid' Mikel Arteta's faith in him after performance in UCL win over Porto

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has lauded Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's decision to sign David Raya following their UEFA Champions League win over Porto on March 12.

The Gunners progressed to the quarter-finals of arguably the biggest club competition, beating Porto in the Round of 16. They came into the second leg 1-0 behind and restored parity in the 41st minute via Gabriel Martinelli.

The game remained level on aggregate even after extra time and went to penalties. David Raya saved two penalties as Arsenal won 4-2, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years. They also beat Porto in the Round of 16 the last time they reached the last 16 in 2010.

After the game, Carragher heaped praise on Raya and said that he has repaid Arteta's faith in him. He said (via HITC):

“He is the hero isn’t he. Fair play to the manager as well, there was a lot of criticism when he brought him in. There was a lot of talk about the two goalkeepers.

“But I don’t think there is any doubt that Raya is a level above Ramsdale. You see the hug from his manager. He has repaid him.”

Arsenal signed Raya on loan from Brentford last summer despite having Aaron Ramsdale in their ranks. Arteta received criticism for this move, with many claiming that having two good goalkeepers could cause trouble.

However, after some initial nervy moments, Raya has done well, keeping 13 clean sheets in 29 games across competitions.

---

Mikel Arteta on David Raya's performance in Arsenal's win over Porto

Aside from the two saves in the penalty shootout, David Raya also made three saves in the 120 minutes, made one high claim and completed 31/43 passes. His performance helped Arsenal secure a big win.

After the game, Mikel Arteta was asked about the Spanish goalkeeper's performance and he answered (via Arsenal.com):

"I don’t have to see him today, I was very convinced that was going to be the case. You see in the first few days here and what he had to go through and how he did it with that composure. You look at his body language, and the position that he takes, he doesn’t get very affected and that’s a key quality for a goalkeeper."

The Gunners reportedly have a £27 million buy option in Raya's loan deal and they appear set to trigger that in the summer. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale might look to leave in search of regular playing time.