If Rice, Saliba, and Saka came to your mind, I’m sorry to say, you’re wrong.
The truth is, Arsenal are having an impressive season yet again.
Although this may be overshadowed by the fact that they have gone from chasing a treble to almost finishing with nothing and are about to bottle the Premier League title in a manner never seen before, they are undeniably the best team in England and, to a certain degree, the world.
Arsenal have lost the fewest games in the EPL and are in the UCL semifinals without suffering a loss in the competition.
In this brilliant run, the Gunners have had a couple of players turn up for them at different times in the season. Gyokeres, who hasn’t hit the heights expected given his transfer fee is well into double figures, has scored 18 goals for Arsenal. Arsenal have had a reliable defensive midfielder in Zubimendi and a perfect false nine in Merino, who was always clutch for the club until his injury.
Although Arsenal have been enjoying a wonderful season, not all their players have been in good form, but the club has had a few names that they can always rely on.
This core group of reliable players falls into the category of players from whom Arsenal’s best player for the season will be picked, and they include Rice, Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, and Saka. While the players in this group have undoubtedly stood out during the course of the season, there is one who actually deserves the award, and it should be David Raya.
Over the course of the season, Raya has been more excellent when compared to the rest.
Rice is having a splendid season and will definitely be considered for the Premier League Player of the Season. Gabriel and Saliba have proven once again that they are among the best defenders in the world, and Gabriel is getting the credit he deserves.
Saka is Arsenal’s go-to man in attack, and until his injury, he was crucial to their chance creation and forays into the box, but while all the above players have been getting the accolades, nobody really put Raya in the spotlight as they should.
Raya is Arsenal’s best player this season and here’s why.
You can argue that the keeper is just as good as his defence but Raya has gone on to show that he is a brick wall. Where Gabriel and Saliba have faltered, Raya has stood up.
Arteta said defence wins you titles, but Raya has shown that goalkeepers are a crucial part of that defence and they will win you games. His performances after the Carabao Cup loss and FA Cup semifinals exit show that you may have a good defence but you still need an extremely good goalkeeper to see out games.
Apart from his goalkeeping abilities, his distribution has helped Arsenal go from back to front really quickly, and in games where they seem static and out of ideas, like against City, he wasn’t scared to play through the lines or receive the ball and restart play.
On his day, Raya is unbeatable, and in games against Chelsea and against Sporting CP, he was the decider. Where the team seemed lethargic and the defence was beaten, he wasn’t.
Raya has kept 15 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, and he is on track to win the Golden Glove for the third consecutive season. In the UCL, he has 8 clean sheets, the most of any goalkeeper in the competition. There is no debate whatsoever on how good Raya is, and he is Arsenal’s best player this season.
David Raya is Arsenal’s most important player.
The most clean sheets in the Premier League and Champions League this campaign. Since the start of last season, 13 clean sheets in 18 Champions League home games, making the Emirates a fortress. The backbone to Arsenal’s defence.… pic.twitter.com/C3uQL2qcJe
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) April 15, 2026
