Bayern Munich bosses are prioritising a deal for Brentford FC goalkeeper David Raya as a replacement for Yann Sommer and the injured Manuel Neuer, according to Fabrizio Romano. Sky Sports has previously reported that the two clubs are “in talks” and that the Bees want a fee of around £40 million to sanction a move.
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Bayern Munich in Negotiations for Brentford’s David Raya
Brentford Boss Thomas Frank Says Club are ‘Willing to Sell’
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has stated to the press that it is an “open secret” that the club are willing to sell their number one “for the right amount”. The Danish boss told reporters that he could not praise the Spaniard’s mindset enough amid transfer speculation and claimed that Raya is a “top pro”.
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The Spanish goalkeeper is entering the final year of his contract so the Bavarian club could seek to knock down Brentford’s £40 million asking price. However, with Yann Sommer waiting for confirmation of a move to Inter Milan and Neuer sidelined with a broken leg, Bayern face starting next season without a clear first-choice keeper.
David Raya Could Bring an End to the Manuel Neuer Era at Bayern
With Neuer facing a long recovery from a broken tibia and fibula, Bayern are seeking a successor to the German who has been credited with changing the role of a keeper in modern football. These days, it is commonplace for top sides to want a goalkeeper who can play with the ball, but this change to the very definition of the role can largely be attributed to Neuer, who went from being a sweeper keeper to perhaps the world’s first ball-playing number one.
Raya has been very impressive during his time in the Premier League, being described as “top-class.” In 2022/23, the only clubs that conceded less than Brentford were those who finished in the top four, with Aston Villa matching their record of only 46 goals conceded. They finished with a better defensive record than top sides such as Liverpool, Tottenham and Brighton.
Of course, this record cannot be purely attributed to Raya, so we should explore his individual contributions.
What does the Data say About Bayern Target Raya?
First, as with any keeper, we should look at his shot-stopping and chance prevention. In 2022/23, the Brentford keeper boasted a 77.7% save percentage, placing him in the top ten percent of goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues. Where Raya shines brightest, however, is chance prevention. The Spaniard averages 1.42 defensive actions outside of his penalty area per 90, demonstrating that he can play the role of sweeper-keeper to an elite level.
But to be Neuer’s successor, he must show a strong ability to pass and progress the ball under pressure. Last season, Raya took 45.32 touchers per 90, more than almost all of his peers, more than Manchester City’s Ederson. But his pass completion stats are very troubling at first sight, with an extremely low 61%. But there are plenty of reasons to believe that this number is misleading when evaluating his passing capability. The main reason for this is that Raya plays an exceptionally high volume of long or launched passes, as part of Thomas Frank’s tactical set-up.
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Interestingly, he completes an exceptionally high number of these successfully. With 23.21 launched passes per game, he completes 9.13, placing him in the 97th and 96th percentile respectively. Under Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, he is much less likely to play such a high volume of long balls, but he has shown an exceptional technique to complete them. With this and Raya’s high number of touches per 90 in mind, we would expect him to be comfortable in a system that requires shorter passing.
Bayern Munich Look to Complete Deals For Raya and Harry Kane
Whilst the German club will be eager to wrap up a deal for a keeper before the start of the season, their attention is also firmly on Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane. Bayern bosses are set to meet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on Monday to discuss a deal for the England captain, according to Matt Law of the Telegraph.
If the club can wrap up deals for Tottenham’s record goalscorer and for Brentford’s Spanish star Raya, it is hard to see who could stop them in their quest to win their 11th Bundesliga title in succession.
Main Photo Credit: Christian Scholz, CC BY-NC 2.0
