Mikel Arteta has joked the only way Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya will be playing soccer in his native Spain any time soon is if it’s during a summer vacation.
Raya recently stoked intrigue about his future by revealing in an interview he would “love” to give La Liga a go. “For now, I’m very happy [at Arsenal], but I would certainly like to experience the Spanish league,” he told MARCA.
“Perhaps, in the future, I could play for a Spanish club. I’m Spanish and I’d love to play there.”
Raya is a relatively uncommon specimen among the elite, in that he has never played pro club soccer in his own country. The goalkeeper was born and raised in Barcelona, taking his first steps in the youth team at UE Cornellà, owned since April 2026 by Lionel Messi.
Raya left home aged just 16 in 2012, heading to England in the hope of making his career. Blackburn Rovers, Premier League champions in 1994 –95 but relegated at the start of that summer, became his landing spot. He progressed to the first team two years later and was the club’s starting goalkeeper for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons.
From there, Raya was scouted by Brentford, before Arteta decided in 2023 he was an unmissable upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale that would elevate Arsenal to the next level. The goalkeeper has three Premier League Golden Gloves from the last three seasons and by Monday night could realistically win the Yashin Trophy at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony as the best in the world.
Although not a starter for his country, Raya has also been a fixture of Spain rosters for the last four years and is a European Championship and World Cup winner as a result.
Playing for a club in La Liga is therefore a conspicuous gap in his career achievements.
Arsenal Against Selling No. 1 Goalkeeper
But, as far as Arteta is concerned, it will have to wait.
“I think David has to play in Spain at some point … on the beach with his friends in the summer,” the Gunners boss joked when the question was raised at a press conference. “For the next few years, he needs to play here for Arsenal.”
Arteta himself spent most of his own playing career outside Spain, although he did still make 42 appearances at pro level for Barcelona B and later 17 with hometown team Real Sociedad.
Raya has entered the final two years of his Arsenal contract, which ends in June 2028. Aged 31, he is by no means old—especially for a goalkeeper—but is also long past the infancy of his career. He will be just shy of his 33rd birthday when that contract is expiring. Based on Arteta’s comments, Arsenal would be expected to soon attempt to secure his future until at least 2030.
Which Spanish Club Would David Raya Join?
Raya would have to ask himself how badly he wants to play in Spain and at what stage of his career. Does he want to be in La Liga in his prime, or would he be satisfied with a retirement tour?
If it is the former, the time to go would be no later than 2028. Then, it’s a question of which clubs might be a good fit. The obvious answer is Barcelona from a style point of view and his childhood spent in the city. That falls down, however, when considering the club’s 2025 investment in Joan García, who is thriving and a nominee for this year’s Yashin Trophy alongside Raya.
Even though he is from Barcelona, Raya is on record stating he grew up not supporting a particular team. That could make Real Madrid a possibility and there might be a conveniently timed opportunity to replace Thibaut Courtois, aged 34, for Los Blancos in due course.
There is a similar situation with Jan Oblak at Atlético Madrid, although it is certainly plausible that both he and Courtois could both continue at this level into their late thirties.
If Raya waited a little longer to head back to Spain, he might consider Espanyol. The club has its home in the Cornellà de Llobregat neighborhood, where his soccer journey began. But what about UE Cornellà as the ultimate fairytale homecoming?
The team currently plays in the Tercera Federación, tier five in Spain’s league pyramid, but Messi didn’t invest his money just to let the club sit. La Liga is still four promotions away, yet it would be a magical story if a rise to the top division in the next few years is met with Raya returning. In that scenario, Arsenal get to keep him for at least four years, and everbody wins.
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