David Raya has been nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for March after helping Arsenal take nine points from nine and strengthening his grip on the Golden Glove race.
David Raya has been shortlisted for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for March after another strong month for Arsenal’s number one. The Spaniard is one of seven nominees on the latest shortlist after playing all three of Arsenal’s league matches in March, with Mikel Arteta’s side winning each of them to maintain momentum in the title race.
It is a notable nomination because goalkeepers rarely feature prominently in awards of this kind, but Raya’s month was difficult to ignore. The Premier League credited him with two clean sheets and nine saves across Arsenal’s three March fixtures, with only one goal conceded. That came via his own team-mate Piero Hincapie in the 2-1 win over Chelsea, while Raya also produced an important late save to preserve all three points.
Those performances have strengthened an already impressive season. Raya’s two March clean sheets took him to 15 in the Premier League campaign, leaving him top of the Golden Glove standings and underlining just how central he has become to Arsenalr’s defensive consistency. In a month where Arsenal needed control as much as flair, Raya once again provided the kind of assurance that has become a major part of the side’s title push.
The nomination comes just a day after fellow Spain goalkeeper Joan Garcia described Raya as being “at a very high level”, saying he is the goalkeeper he most enjoys watching at the moment because of the demands placed on him in the Premier League, particularly with set-pieces and his use of the ball. That praise arrived as competition for Spain’s World Cup places continues to intensify, and it offered another reminder that Raya’s form is being noticed beyond England as well.
The rest of the shortlist reflects the scale of the competition. Bruno Fernandes, James Garner, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck have also been nominated, which leaves Raya competing against a strong group of attacking and creative players despite operating at the other end of the pitch. That, in itself, says plenty about the level of his recent performances.
For Arsenal, the nomination is further recognition of a goalkeeper who has quietly become one of the most reliable performers in the division. Supporters can vote for Raya on the EA SPORTS Player of the Month page until 12:00 BST on Monday 30 March, with the fan vote then combined with the choices of a panel of experts before the winner is announced next week.