Aheed Abrar
Brentford shot-stopper David Raya wants Champions League football amidst Manchester United interest
Brentford shot-stopper David Raya wants to play in competitions like the Champions League, with Manchester United one of the clubs linked with him.
The Spain international has been impressive for the Bees in the Premier League since their promotion to the top flight last season. At the moment, the 27-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract with the West London club at the end of the campaign.
Raya has already rejected two offers from Thomas Frank’s team. Speaking on the Yours, Mine, Away! podcast (h/t Manchester Evening News), the shot-stopper believes he is ready to take the next step in his career.
“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 and everything.
“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.”
The Spaniard joined Brentford in the summer of 2019 from Blackburn Rovers. Since then, he has been the number one at the Gtech Community Stadium side. Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea also have him on their radar.
This season, the 27-year-old has caught a lot of people’s attention. He has made 31 appearances in the English top flight for the Bees and has kept nine clean sheets. Frank’s team are mid-table in the league, which is a brilliant achievement for them at this point of the campaign. But UCL football does not look like a possibility for them.
Raya’s displays have also led to his inclusion in Spain’s recent squads. The 27-year-old has replaced David de Gea in the national setup.
The former Atletico Madrid star is the first choice at United. He has made some clutch saves for the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag. But the shot-stopper’s distribution is something that evidently needs improvement.
However, even though De Gea has made a number of errors with the ball at his feet, the gaffer does not have another quality option to call upon. Tom Heaton and Jack Butland are the backups in our goalkeeping department.
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Therefore, we could seemingly do with someone like Raya in our ranks. But will the 27-year-old be the one to replace his compatriot in between the sticks at United? Only time will tell.
