David Raya confirms his desire to leave Brentford amidst Chelsea interest
Speaking to Yours, Mine, Away! Podcast (h/t Football.London), Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has doubled down on his desire to leave the Bees amidst interest from Chelsea and other top Premier League clubs.
Along with the Blues, rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the Spanish international, whose contract with Brentford expires in the summer of 2024 (Transfermarkt).
Earlier in the year, Raya confirmed that he has rejected two new offers from the Bees as those were not the offers he was after.
Doubling down on that and sharing what his ambitions are, here’s what the 27-year-old said (h/t Football.London):
“Obviously it’s nice to hear that clubs are after you and asking about you and looking for you.
“These clubs are the biggest in the world and every player wants to play for these clubs. I have a year left and I don’t know what will happen in the summer. I’ve said before that I’ve had two contracts that I’ve turned down because they weren’t the offers I was looking for.
“I want to push myself to the highest level to the Champions League, the Europa League and to win those trophies. I want to experience that and I’m at that stage in my footballing career.”
It is nice to hear clarity from a player who is quite open about willing to challenge himself at the biggest of stages. What this quote does is reaffirm that the Spaniard is open to joining any of the top clubs that potentially have a chance of challenging for trophies in the near future.
Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter wanted to sell both of our goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy and sign a new keeper in the summer.
Now with him gone and no new managerial appointment made yet, it would be interesting to see where the club goes in this department.
If Mendy leaves the Blues this summer, it won’t be a surprise given he has already rejected a new contract offer, deeming it as ‘disrespectful‘. On the other hand, while Kepa has played a lot more compared to the last two seasons, he hasn’t improved much.
More Chelsea News:
- Brazilian star Thiago Silva hints at Chelsea dressing room split
- Chelsea representatives travel to Barcelona for further discussion with Luis Enrique
- Carlo Ancelotti insists Todd Boehly has the right to criticise Chelsea players
So, whoever the new permanent manager of Chelsea is, he must look to sign a new keeper. There aren’t many better than Raya in terms of availability and experience in the Premier League.