Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has said there were no bad feelings behind his move away from Blackburn Rovers in the summer transfer window, saying that he was keen to take on a new challenge.
David Raya’s summer move from Blackburn Rovers to Brentford raised some eyebrows, as he brought an end to his eight-year spell with the Lancashire club to move to a fellow Championship side.
Since joining Brentford, Raya has played in every Championship gamekeeping six clean sheets and conceding just 13 goals in 17 games for the Bees. And now, ahead of his first game against Blackburn since leaving, Raya has opened up on his move away from Ewood Park, saying:
“The last four games, I spoke to the gaffer and he wanted to give a run in the team to Jayson and I was completely fine with it. I wasn’t dropped or anything like that. It (the move away) was nothing to do with that. I think it was the right time for me to move on to a new challenge in my career and my life and it was the decision I made.
“I always had a good relationship with the gaffer. Those four games we had nothing to play for and I think it was the right thing to give Jayson a chance. I would have wanted the same thing is I was in that position to get that chance. I had no problems with the gaffer.
“It was just how it worked out. I did not see it coming. When the move came about, I got in touch with the goalkeeping coach at Brentford and I just thought this opportunity was the time to move on.
“Sometimes when you spend a lot of time in one place you can become comfortable and I felt like it was time for me to move on. To see a new challenge, it was the right decision in my opinion.
“I am looking forward to it. For me Blackburn is my home, it is where I grew up so I feel like I’m coming home. I’m really looking forward to the game.”
In his time with Blackburn Rovers, Raya first gathered senior experience out on loan with Stockport County while also playing for the Rovers Under-23s side frequently. The 24-year-old became a mainstay in the Blackburn Rovers starting 11, notching up 108 appearances for the club, keeping 32 clean sheets in the process.
