'He's not here' - Thomas Frank provides David Raya transfer update as goalkeeper inches towards £30m Arsenal move

WHAT HAPPENED? The Brentford manager anticipates that David Raya's transfer from Brentford to Arsenal will materialise soon. Raya's story has been ongoing for several weeks, and the Bees manager even admitted that the Spanish goalie was up for sale for £40 million ($51m) as early as May, following Brentford's final game of the 2022–23 season. Raya will eventually move to Arsenal under a £3 million season-long loan agreement with a £27 million ($34m) purchase option.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I expect the deal will be completed with Arsenal. He’s not here at the moment and won’t be involved on Sunday," said Frank. "Mark Flekken was one of the best keepers in the Bundesliga last year. I like his personality; he is a leader. I like his distribution and dominance in the area. From the first game in America to Lille, he has got better each time."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Luckily for Frank, he does have the services of Mark Flekken available having signed the Dutch goalkeeper from SC Freiburg earlier in the summer.

IN A PHOTO:(C)Getty Images

WHAT'S NEXT? Brentford will face off against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, August 13 at the Gtech Community Stadium where Flekken will make his first official start for the Bees.