Arteta Praises David as Key to Team's Rise

Mikel Arteta is not interested in rankings. He is interested in impact.

Facing the media before this weekend’s league fixture, the Spanish coach refused to label his goalkeeper as his best-ever signing, but made it clear just how central he has become to the club’s rise.

Asked directly if the goalkeeper was his finest piece of business, Arteta pushed the debate aside.

“I don't know – he's been a tremendous signing, there is no question about that,” he 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 carried the weight of expectation. The standard has changed. Now it has to be sustained.

Arteta then lifted the curtain slightly on why David has made such a difference. Not just the saves. The mentality.

“I think it's his mentality,” Arteta 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 early scrutiny to established cornerstone, the journey has hardened the goalkeeper. Arteta knows that story well – and as the next league test looms, he is clearly building his team on that same edge.