Arteta Praises David as a Tremendous Signing for Arsenal

Mikel Arteta pushed away the temptation to rank his transfer business, but he did not hide how central his goalkeeper has become to the project.

Speaking before this weekend’s league fixture, the Spanish coach was asked outright if his current No 1 was the best deal he has done. He refused the comparison, yet his answer underlined just how much the club now leans on him.

"I don't know – he's been a tremendous signing, there is no question about that," Arteta said. "Whether he is the best or not is just an opinion. It doesn't matter, we are so happy to have him. He has elevated the team to a different level and now we have to maintain that level."

That last line tells the story. The bar has moved. The challenge is to stay there.

Arteta then peeled back the curtain on why the goalkeeper has settled so decisively in the spotlight. It is not just about reflexes or distribution.

"I think it's his mentality," he explained. "David has tremendous quality but he has overcome a lot of difficulties and challenges to reach this point. It wasn't easy at the beginning, he had to dig in and prove himself. Now, he has the right to be one of the best."

From digging in to dictating games, the trajectory is clear. The question now is how far that “different level” can carry Arteta’s side this season.