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Tottenham Transfer News: Postecoglou’s first signing in place from Premier League rivals

June 13, 2023 3:16 pm

Tottenham Hotspur have moved a step closer to signing a new goalkeeper for their first Premier League season under newly appointed Ange Postecoglou. It is expected that Hugo Lloris will depart the club this season, but the Australian is closing in on adding a current Premier League goalkeeper as his replacement.

According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, the intended acquisition by Tottenham for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has moved a step closer to completion. Talks have been ongoing on the last few days following the conclusion of the Premier League season, and the Spaniard is now expected to make the move to North London.

It was recently reported that Tottenham were the only club in discussions with Brentford over the intended signing of Raya, who has impressed over the past season in helping the Bees secure a 9th place finish in the Premier League. He has spent the last four seasons with the club after joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2019 for a fee believed to be £3million.

If that number is accurate, then it looks like Brentford will be making quite a significant profit in comparison when he is indeed set to be sold. A fee in the region of £23-29million is likely to be the final figure that it agreed between the two clubs for the goalkeeper.

Raya only has one season remaining on his contract at The Gtech Community Stadium, and with him not seemingly willing to discuss the possibility of extending this, Brentford are looking to cash in while they can. Considering that Brentford have already signed another goalkeeper this summer in the form of Netherlands international Mark Flekken, Raya’s departure can’t be far away.

David Raya: Who are Tottenham getting?

The 27-year-old played in the youth ranks in his native Spain before moving to England in 2012 on a scholarship with Blackburn Rovers. He would make his professional club debut in 2014 during a loan move at Southport, and in 2015, towards the end of the season, he made his first appearance for Blackburn, and soon signed a new three-year deal.

He would effectively be a regular on the substitutes bench for the following two seasons, but he would get an opportunity in 2017-18, following Blackburn’s relegation to League One. He has not looked back ever since and has been first-choice in both the remainder of his time at Blackburn and the four seasons he has enjoyed with Brentford.

Without doubt, his most attractive goalkeeper as a goalkeeper is his ability to play out from the back. With new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou favouring this approach, it is vital he has someone in the position that is comfortable doing the job. Furthermore, Raya is a supreme shot-stopper and his range of passing is to a very high standard.

Last season, Raya was ranked number one across all Premier League goalkeepers for the number of saves he made. The total was 154 in total, and this worked out as an average of around four saves per game.

Raya has played 150 games for Brentford, but it would seem that with this latest development coming to light, his next appearance is likely to be in the jersey of Tottenham Hotspur.

 

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