I'll fight with Ramsdale for '1', explains Arsenal's David Raya

David Raya's arrival at Emirates resulted in a battle for No 1 between the Spaniard and the Gunners' previous first-choice custodian, Aaron Ramsdale. In an interview with The Athletic, Raya explained it was Mikel Arteta's wish to have two top goalkeepers. Moreover, he said that the two of them had a few conversations before Raya officially signed for the North Londoners.

Did Arteta ever suggest to Raya he would be No 1 over Ramsdale, The Athletic wanted to know...

"I'm going to fight for it. Arteta gave me the confidence to be there, that he wanted to have two top players in each position, and it was up to me to find the time and fight to get the minutes. I don't want to think beyond that. If there are rotations, as there are in any position, I'm going to help on and off the pitch."

So far, there has been no animosity between Raya and Ramsdale, at least publicly. And the Spaniard confirms this, saying that he has developed a healthy relationship with Ramsdale.

"The relationship? It's very good," adds Raya. "At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems.

"We push each other every day in training: when he's a little bit down, I push him, and when I'm a little bit down (he does the same). We train three goalkeepers, four at the most, for hours a week, and you need that kind of relationship because otherwise, the training is not going to go well."

Asked about his plans and dreams for the future, Raya said:

"I don't like to look to the future, I like to look at the day-to-day… but the perfect end would be to win a title with Arsenal, to be called up to the national team for the European Championship, and to have a good tournament."