Competition for places is a common tagline from football managers and Mikel Arteta is no different.

The Arsenal boss used the phrase when speaking about his forwards as recently as his post-match press conference after Arsenal’s 5-3 pre-season victory over Barcelona.

But perhaps the most interesting development of the past week, and one which embodies competition for places, is that the Gunners are exploring the possibility of signing Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Raya has established himself as a strong Premier League calibre goalkeeper during his time with Brentford and attracted interest from Arsenal prior to them signing Aaron Ramsdale, in part due to his close relationship with goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, formerly with the Bees.

As recently as this summer, North London rivals Tottenham had a reported bid of £20 million rejected for Raya, with Brentford putting a £40 million price tag on the Spanish goalkeeper.

The curious part of this move is that Ramsdale signed a new four-year deal in May and there has been little reason to suggest his starting spot is in jeopardy. 

But a potential move in the region of £30-40 million for another goalkeeper would really bring Ramsdale’s starting spot into some doubt.

American international Matt Turner performed well in his limited role last season, but stylistically there’s a significant change to Ramsdale and the English keeper has never really had a true challenge to his spot since taking it off Bernd Leno shortly after joining. 

After a few mistakes in pre-season so far, it could be a reminder that nobody’s place in the side is guaranteed, which is what Arteta was challenging his forwards with after the Barcelona game. 

If a move for Raya were to progress, Turner’s departure would likely need to happen to free up a space in the squad. It would provide Arteta with two excellent options and the option to use Raya as the main Champions League goalkeeper for the upcoming season.

It would be a statement of intent and act as a strong reminder to the players to never let their levels slip – but it feels like there are other areas that Arsenal should be prioritising before splashing the cash on a second goalkeeper.