Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has named Arsenal counterpart David Raya as one of the top three goalkeepers in the world. He has backed Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Liverpool’s Alisson as his other two picks.
Speaking to COPE, Courtois said that Oblak has been playing at a high level this season and deserves to be named among the best. He added Alisson remains one of the top keepers in the world despite being injured, and then added Raya as his third pick. He said (via Metro):
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“Currently… Jan Oblak is playing at a very high level this year. I really like Alisson, even though he’s injured. And I also really like David Raya.”
Talking about his decision to pick Raya as one of the three, he said:
“Arsenal are having a great season, conceding very few goals, and Raya already had a great season last year. Saying that, Unai Simon is also a great goalkeeper, he’s performing tremendously well with the national team and deserves to keep playing.”
“That’s football and competition. I think Luis de la Fuente has made up his mind and Raya will have to wait for his chance. But it’s healthy competition, especially in goal, because if you concede two goals, the manager can’t hesitate and it’s always harder to replace one of them.”
Thibaut Courtois was asked whether he considered himself one of the best, and the Real Madrid goalkeeper admitted he was among the top, but opinions differ from person to person.
Arsenal told star player is good enough to play for Real Madrid
Former Arsenal star Nacho Monreal has admitted that Gabriel’s injury is a big loss for Mikel Arteta’s side. However, he believes that Cristhian Mosquera is good enough to step up and deliver for the first team and said (via Football London):
“The most surprising thing about Mosquera is that I was checking his numbers and everything and he’s still only 21! I was watching him play for Spain U21 on Tuesday, it feels like I’ve been watching him for four years and he’s still just 21. Of course, he has the level to play for Barcelona or Real Madrid but if you see their squads, they probably also have top centre-backs. Why didn’t Barcelona or Real Madrid sign him? Honestly, the truth is, I don’t know but Arsenal did very well to get him for that price.”
Arsenal face Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend, with a clash against Real Madrid’s rivals Barcelona next week in the UEFA Champions League.
Edited by Sripad
