In stark contrast to the last international break, there is a genuine feel-good atmosphere around Arsenal at the moment.
Instead of going into the long break off the back of a devastating loss at Anfield, the Gunners are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a routine win over West Ham United and Chelsea scoring a last-minute winner to take all three points off Liverpool.
Moreover, there is now talk of the Emirates’ capacity being expanded in the not-too-distant future, and in yet more good news, David Raya is reportedly getting a pay rise to reflect his importance to the squad.
The Spaniard more than deserves his new terms, but he isn’t the only player in Mikel Arteta’s squad who should be getting a new contract.
Why Raya deserves a pay rise
Interestingly, while reports about Raya’s new payment terms mention the inclusion of an optional year in his contract, it is quite clear that this new deal does not actually increase the number of standard years the Spaniard has left at the club.
That might sound rather odd to some, and there is certainly an argument to be made that it is, but there are a few reasons why this pay rise more than makes sense.
Firstly, unlike when the former Brentford ace was first signed and there was an element of doubt over who would be the club’s starting goalkeeper between him and Aaron Ramsdale, he is now clearly one of the first names on the team sheet.
Therefore, it’s only right that his wage reflects his true importance to the squad. At the £100k-per-week he was earning before these new terms, he was making less than 14 other players, including Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli, and Noni Madueke.
Second, in addition to starting most games for the side, the 30-year-old is undoubtedly one of the very best in his position in the Premier League, if not Europe.
For example, he’s won the league’s Golden Glove award in both of the last two seasons, and according to FBref, he sits in the top 4% of keepers in Europe’s top five leagues for percentage of crosses stopped, the top 7% for clean sheets, the top 8% for save percentage and more, all per 90.
Finally, from a purely social perspective, it keeps him happy and shows the other players that consistent results will be rewarded, which in turn helps foster a better atmosphere.
Goals Against
0.78
Top 2%
Post-Shot Expected Goals
0.92
Top 4%
Crosses Stopped %
12.5%
Top 4%
Clean Sheets
0.39
Top 7%
Clean Sheet Percentage
39.2%
Top 7%
Save Percentage
76.2%
Top 8%
Def. Actions Outside Pen. Area
1.78
Top 10%
Crosses Stopped
1.25
Top 14%
With all that said, there is another player in the squad who deserves the same treatment.
The Arsenal star who deserves a raise like Raya
The good thing for Arteta and Arsenal is that, following the slew of new deals agreed in the summer, there aren’t many players who’d be able to claim they’re currently underpaid in the squad.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, there is one international who could make that argument, someone who at the very least deserves a raise, if not a new deal: Jurrien Timber.
Yes, the former Ajax gem, who joined the club for around £38m in the summer of 2023, is the player perhaps most deserving of new terms at the moment, and based on reports this month, it does seem like he may soon get them.
Being a right-back, and one that doesn’t tend to bomb forward as much as a Trent Alexander-Arnold or Jermaine Frimpong, means the Dutchman doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves from the wider footballing community.
But since recovering from his ACL injury, which ruled him out for pretty much the entirety of the 23/24 season, the 24-year-old has been incredible, and this season his performances are making him harder and harder to overlook.
Like Declan Rice in midfield and Bukayo Saka on the wing, the monstrous defender very rarely, if ever, puts in a less than a 7/10 performance and more often than not does better than that.
In the words of Arsenal podcaster Adam Keys, he’s like a “dementor for wingers” thanks to his brilliant anticipation, footballing IQ and surprising physicality. Yet, especially this season, he has also been improving his attacking play, with the performance against Newcastle United arguably his best offensive display since joining the club.
Unsurprisingly, the Utrecht-born titan’s underlying numbers from this season more than back up the eye-test and prove that he’s hitting a level few other full-backs can.
According to FBref, he sits in the top 2% of full-backs in the Premier League for actual and expected non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, progressive passes and tackles, the top 7% for total shots and pass completion, the top 11% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.
Goals
0.34
Top 2%
Goals + Assists
0.52
Top 2%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.34
Top 2%
xG: Expected Goals
0.31
Top 2%
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.31
Top 2%
Progressive Passes
6.38
Top 2%
Shots on Target
0.86
Top 2%
Passes into Penalty Area
2.07
Top 2%
Through Balls
0.86
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.28
Top 2%
SCA (Shot)
0.69
Top 2%
GCA (Shot)
0.17
Top 2%
GCA (Fouls Drawn)
0.17
Top 2%
Tackles Won
2.41
Top 2%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.55
Top 2%
Tackles (Att 3rd)
1.03
Top 2%
Tkl+Int
5.34
Top 2%
Touches (Att 3rd)
23.10
Top 2%
Penalty Kicks Won
0.17
Top 2%
Ultimately, considering all factors, it’s hard to disagree with respected analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that Timber is “one of the best Emirates-era signings.”
Therefore, like Raya, he should be getting a pay rise as soon as possible, or better yet, a new contract altogether.
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