Latest news with #Luton
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
‘That's where I hit rock bottom' – David Raya reveals Arsenal career changed overnight following TWO-HOUR meeting
DAVID RAYA has opened up on the lowest point of his Arsenal career in an honest interview with former England goalkeeper Ben Foster. Raya, 29, has been one of the Premier League's top shot-stoppers since his move to North London, winning consecutive Golden Glove awards in between the sticks at the Emirates Stadium. 5 David Raya has opened up about the 'rock bottom' of his time at Arsenal Credit: YouTube/FOzcast But the Spaniard revealed that it hasn't always been easy, explaining that a poor game against Luton Town last season made him hit "rock bottom". Even though Arsenal won the game 4-3, thanks to a late Declan Rice header, Raya was left feeling that his performance was the worst of his career - shipping three goals against the newly promoted outfit. He told Fozcast: "It was a turning point against Luton. That game was one of the worst games I ever played and that's where I hit rock bottom. "From there, the only way was up with changing my habits and trying to change my mindset. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL BRAVE NEW WORLD Gary Lineker agrees deal with new broadcaster just a week after MOTD exit "From that game, I said, 'Listen, this is not me.' I think there's been a massive change from there." For Raya, that meant setting up an almost immediate meeting with Gunners goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana to pinpoint what was going wrong and fix it. He added: "I met with the goalie coach after the game at the training round and we were there for two hours, talking about things that we could change. "He helped me a lot in that situation and he just believed in me. We had to change things. 5 Raya conceded three times during a 4-3 win over Luton Town Credit: Alamy 5 Raya made a memorable mistake when trying to claim a ball that led to Luton's second goal Credit: EPA Join SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from The Emirates "[I was] working with him, working with a sports psychologist and relying on my missus and my family to try to help me as much as possible. That's when I started feeling better. Raya was battling with outside noise about his arrival when he first joined the Gunners, with many fans questioning if he was a necessary addition given the presence of Aaron Ramsdale at the time. But now he has cemented himself as the number one for Mikel Arteta, so much so that Ramsdale's permanent exit from the Emirates was sealed last summer. Raya reckons this past campaign has been the best of his career, and he is ensuring that he is keeping himself in the best nick possible to continue his flying form. The goalkeeper, who formed the base of the Premier League's most formidable defence this term, revealed: "I've changed my routines in the morning. "Since I came back from pre-season I wanted to be waking up earlier in the morning and doing some stuff at home. Like an ice bath in the morning." 5
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
David Raya held two-hour long Arsenal meeting – 'There's been a big change'
Arsenal's David Raya has opened up on a crunch meeting which made a big difference for the Gunners goalkeeper, with the Spaniard having since established himself as Mikel Arteta's true No. 1 David Raya has lifted the lid on how he turned his Arsenal career around following a lengthy meeting at the club's training ground. The Spanish goalkeeper has won the Premier League's Golden Glove award for the last two seasons thanks to his impressive haul of clean sheets. However, Raya suffered a difficult start to life with the Gunners after first joining on loan from Brentford during the summer of 2023. Mikel Arteta 's decision to play Raya over England international Aaron Ramsdale initially drew raised eyebrows in the early stages of the 2023/24 campaign following a series of high-profile blunders. The 29-year-old admitted he hit "rock-bottom" after making two howlers in Arsenal's 4-3 Premier League victory away at Luton in December 2023. Raya has now told former Manchester United and Wrexham shot-stopper Ben Foster how he met with the club's goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana the same evening to try and address his poor form. Speaking on the Fozcast podcast, he said: "It was a turning point against Luton. That game was one of the worst games I ever played and that's where I hit rock bottom. From there, the only way was up with changing my habits and trying to change my mindset. "From that game, I said, 'Listen, this is not me.' I think there's been a massive change from there. I met with the goalie coach after the game at the training round and we were there for two hours, talking about things that we could change. "He helped me a lot in that situation and just believed in me. I worked with him, worked with the sports psychologist and relied on my missus and my family to try to help me as much as possible. That's when I started feeling better." Raya made his move to the Emirates permanent last summer, while Ramsdale was sold to Southampton. Fast forward to 2025, and Arsenal announced last month that the Spaniard will officially be given the No.1 shirt next term after opting to change from his previous number of 22. The move will see him follow in the footsteps of David Seaman, Jens Lehmann, Manuel Almunia, Wojciech Szczesny, Petr Cech, Bernd Leno and Ramsdale. Reflecting on his tough start at Arsenal, though, Raya said he may have been playing with too much fear due to the controversy surrounding his selection. "I wasn't myself 100 per cent," he said. "Maybe I was backing off a little bit and you cannot do that. You will make more mistakes if you are backing off a little bit. "Maybe it was in the back of my head last year with all the thoughts that were behind the goalie situation. There could've been a lot of factors like the loan thing and maybe not having that [permanent] contract." Arsenal have finished in the runners-up spot in the Premier League for the last three seasons. While the club's standing has improved under Arteta, Raya said the players were disappointed to miss out on the title to Manchester City by five points last year. He said: "I think it hurt more last season because of everything that we'd done, all the points that we got and the run that we went on. "After the [mid-season] Dubai trip, we lost one game, we drew another one and we won the rest. But not fulfilling that title, and being so close and not getting it, that hurt a little bit more." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Trial of man accused of killing baby girl in car park crash delayed
The trial of a man accused of killing a baby girl who died after being hit by a car in a multi-storey car park has been postponed until next year. Flaviu Naghi, 34, faces two charges of causing the death of six-month-old Sophia Kelemen by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs. Naghi, of Rondini Avenue, Luton, Bedfordshire, spoke through an interpreter to confirm his name and enter a not guilty plea to the careless driving through drugs charge during a brief hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Monday. Judge Catherine Richards agreed an application to adjourn the trial until January 5 2026, three days after the anniversary of Sophia's death. The judge said it was 'regretful' that the trial needed to be delayed, but said it was necessary to allow for more expert evidence to be gathered. Naghi was released on bail. Tom Crowther KC appeared for the prosecution while John Hipkin KC represented the defendant. Sophia, from the Leigh area of Manchester, was hit by a car on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on January 2, and died a day later in hospital. She had been airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales and undergone emergency treatment. An inquest opening at Pembrokeshire Coroner's Court in January heard Sophia died of an 'intracranial haemorrhage' caused by a road traffic collision.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Appeal after driver standing by van dies on M1 in Hertfordshire
A driver standing by his van on the hard shoulder of the M1 has died after being struck, police have victim's silver Vauxhall van and a silver Chevrolet were on the hard shoulder of the M1 near Hemel Hempstead, when they were involved in a crash with a silver Saab at about 16:30 BST on Friday, Hertfordshire Police driver, a man in his 20s, suffered serious injuries and died at the scene of the crash close to the southbound slip road at junction 8.A man, 58, from Luton, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drink or drugs and failing to stop at the scene of a collision, and remains in custody, the force said. Det Sgt Ben Heath, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Our thoughts are with the man's loved ones at this difficult time."Our inquiries are continuing, and I am appealing for anyone with information to please come forward."Did you see what happened, or witness anything before the collision?"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their patience whilst we put road closures in place."Anyone who saw the crash, has information or dash cam footage has been urged to contact the police. Det Sgt Heath added that any material could be uploaded on to the force's said the victim's family was being supported by officers. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New Luton chicken shop trained to spot child exploitation
Staff at a new chicken shop have been briefed on ways they can help prevent child Children's Society worked with employees at Chicken Cottage in Chapel Street, Luton, so they can spot the signs of grooming and take to the charity, predators can use the offer of food to gain a child's trust, so training hospitality businesses was "crucial in stamping out exploitation and supporting victims and survivors of this abuse".Jeyakumar Veeramalai, Luton Chicken Cottage franchisee, said: "Our community matters deeply to us and I'm proud to be able to lead the way in demonstrating what local businesses can do to keep our children and young people safe." The fast food chain was founded in London in 1994 and the new national partnership with The Children's Society will extend to stores across the country. Damaging issue Shops will display information to signpost customers to resources from The Children's Glover-James, the head of corporate engagement for the charity, said: "It's terrific to be a part of the opening of the first chicken shop in Luton with staff fully briefed about child exploitation from day one." According to the crime and justice specialist Crest Advisory, hundreds of thousands of children aged 11-17 in England are at risk of exploitation and serious continued: "There is no silver bullet to stop this incredibly sad and damaging issue, but reaching children and young people where they are, such as in chicken shops, is one effective approach."We hope that this partnership can prevent many more instances of child exploitation across Luton as well as raising awareness and understanding of this horrific crime among locals." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
