The 31-year-old has spent his entire professional career in England after leaving Spain at 16 to join Blackburn Rovers, but he has not ruled out eventually returning to his homeland.
In an interview with MARCA, Raya spoke about his development, Mikel Arteta’s influence, Spain’s World Cup triumph and his ambitions with Arsenal. He also made clear that experiencing Spanish football remains a personal goal.
“Yes, I would love to. I would love to try out LaLiga. For now, I’m very happy here, but I would certainly like to experience the Spanish league,” Raya said.
“I think it’s a very competitive league. Perhaps, in the future, I could play for a Spanish club. I’m Spanish, and I’d love to play there — that’s for sure.”
His comments indicate a long-term ambition rather than an immediate desire to leave Arsenal. Raya remains happy at the club, and the interview did not identify a particular Spanish side he would like to join.
Raya also discussed the circumstances behind his move to Arsenal, initially joining on loan before making the transfer permanent. He said the club had already established a first-choice goalkeeper when he arrived, meaning there were no guarantees he would stay beyond the loan period.
“The key was the manager and the goalkeeping coach, Iñaki,” he told MARCA. “Both Mikel and Iñaki pushed the club hard for me to end up signing.”
Raya described Arteta as a key figure not only in his own development but also in the progress of players he has coached.
“He knows how to identify very well the aspects of the game we need to improve and always tries to get the maximum out of all of us,” the goalkeeper said.
The Spaniard believes his most recent campaign was the best of his professional career. Arsenal won the Premier League and the Community Shield, while also reaching the Champions League final.
“I think I’ve had a perfect year,” Raya said. “Perhaps the only thing missing was having played in the World Cup. Every year since I arrived at Arsenal, I’ve continued to improve and hopefully that will keep happening.”
Raya was part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in the summer but did not play in the tournament. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal.
Asked who should win the Ballon d’Or, Raya selected Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, praising the teenager’s ability to make football entertaining.
“He gives you back that joy of watching football,” Raya said. “He’s one of those players you want to watch, you want him to get the ball and take on three players before scoring a great goal. There are few players like that today. Lamine deserves it.”
Raya also reflected on the pressure surrounding Spain’s goalkeeping selection during the tournament, saying the squad remained united and focused on the team’s interests.
His immediate focus remains with Arsenal, where he wants to build on the club’s domestic success and pursue the Champions League.
“Our goal is to win everything,” he said. “We want to establish ourselves as favourites. Hopefully this year we can improve on last season by lifting the Champions League, but there is still a long way to go.”
His desire to experience LaLiga eventually adds a personal dimension to the interview, but Raya offered no indication that a departure from Arsenal is imminent.