In the words of the late Big Punisher, from his greatest hit Still Not a Player, “rent-out lease with an option to buy.” That is basically the general set-up of the deal between Arsenal and Brentford, for goalkeeper David Raya.
The North London side paid out £3m in a season-long loan fee for the Spaniard, with an option to buy later for £27m. That option could become an obligation if certain conditions are met. Why structure this deal in this manner?
“I’m sure the first question that all Brentford fans will ask is why this transfer has been structured as an initial loan with Arsenal having the option to make it permanent in the future,” Brentford director of football Phil Giles said as a response to such queries.
The answer to that is simply that it enables this deal to be done more rapidly between both clubs, with all parties wanting to make this a permanent transfer as soon as practically possible, whenever that might be.
So the 27-year-old is not a part of the Bees for this season, as he will be a Gunner in 2023-24. The expectation is that David Raya will compete directly with Aaron Ramsdale for the No. 1 position.
This deal, of course, did not happen in a vacuum, as the previous Arsenal No. 2, the United States No. 1 Matt Turner, left for Nottingham Forest right before the season started.
Interestingly enough Turner started against the Gunners when in making his Premier League debut.
Expect a lot of intrigue this season in between the sticks, where there should be no shortage of storylines between David Raya and Ramsdale.
Raya had also been linked with a move to Chelsea and United this summer.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.