Eyebrows were raised when Raya joined on a season-long loan from Brentford in August with the option to make the move permanent.

The Gunners already had a settled keeper in Aaron Ramsdale who had played all 38 of Arsenal’s matches the previous season, keeping 14 clean sheets.

A day after the signing a poll of BBC Sport readers resulted in 63% saying Ramsdale should keep his place over Raya.

Raya had an underwhelming start to the season, with his lowest point coming after making two errors in Arsenal’s last-gasp 4-3 win over Luton in December.

But he was the hero for his side in March when he saved two penalties as Arsenal beat Porto in a shootout to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty even said his performance that night “settled all lingering arguments about his status as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper”.

Since breaking into the Arsenal side in September, Raya has only missed two league matches this season when he was ineligible to face parent club Brentford.

Ramsdale played in both those games with Arsenal winning the first 1-0 and the second 2-1.