Raya and Sanchez, from being out of the spotlight to signing for Arsenal and Chelsea

"Who are they?" That was one of the most repeated reactions from fans when Luis Enrique called up Robert Sanchez and David Raya to the Spanish national team. Now, one has signed for Chelsea and the other is about to sign for Arsenal.

Neither Sanchez nor Raya were complete unknowns, but their names did come as a surprise in call-ups where many expected David de Gea or Kepa Arrizabalaga. Not just because they were in England, but because they had barely been starting for their Premier League teams for a year.

Robert arrived at Brighton at the age of 15, having come through the Cartagena academy and the Levante youth academy, but struggled to make a name for himself with the Seagulls. In 2018-19, he was on loan in League Two (4th tier of English football) at Forest Green Rovers, a club famous for identifying as vegan and being based on sustainability and ecology. In 2019-20, he moved up a step to join Rochdale in League One.

That, and a few months of patience, was enough for him. On his return the following year, he became the first-choice goalkeeper for Brighton in the Premiership. He made his debut in the 7th matchday against Tottenham and repeated in the 13th against Fulham, before never losing his place in the starting line-up. We are talking about the end of 2020. And in March 2021, Luis Enrique called him up to the national team. Now, Robert Sanchez arrives at Chelsea where he will compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga to be Mauricio Pochettino's first-choice goalkeeper.

 

August 5, 2023

For his part, David Raya arrived in England in 2011. UE Cornella had a partnership agreement with Blackburn Rovers and the goalkeeper joined the youth ranks of the legendary English club. After going on loan to Southport in the National League (5th tier) at the age of 19, he spent 2 seasons with few games at Blackburn until he won his place.

He did so after relegation from the Championship to League One in the 2017-18 campaign and managed to bring the team back to the second tier that season. He established himself as a first-team regular in 2018-19 before moving to Brentford. From his arrival, he was the first-choice goalkeeper and his side fell just short of promotion in his 1st season and eventually achieved it in the 2nd.

In the 2021-22 season, already in the Premier League, he got the call from Luis Enrique, dazzled by his footwork. It was in March, when he had barely been in the top flight for seven months. Almost the same as Robert Sanchez. Both were 'pushed' into the media spotlight by the current PSG coach and, now, they have taken a more than remarkable step in their careers with parallel arrivals to the two most important clubs in London after the imminent signing of Raya by Arsenal, where he will fight with Aaron Ramsdale for the starting line-up.

 

August 8, 2023