Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said that he is proud of David Raya’s progress ahead of the Bees’ Carabao Cup third-round tie against Arsenal on Wednesday night.

The goalkeeper joined Arsenal on loan in August and the Gunners have an option to make the transfer permanent next summer.

The Spain international - who has started the last three games for Mikel Arteta’s side, including their 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League - was an ever-present for Brentford in the Premier League last term as the Bees ended the season in ninth.

“I like David so much,” said Frank. “He’s a fantastic keeper and I’m so pleased that he’s played the last three games for Arsenal. I think he’s done well.

“For us as a club, it’s fantastic that we’ve built a player from the Championship to the top of the Premier League. I’m proud to have been part of that journey alongside lots of other staff and players. Hopefully we can continue to do that with other players.

“If he plays tomorrow, I will welcome him back with a hug.”

Frank went on to stress that the Brentford supporters have a big role to play in helping the side bounce back from last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Everton.

“I’ve got a big, big belief in this group of players,” he said. “It was a bad performance [against Everton], but we need to look at the bigger picture. In the first five games of the season, I think we’ve put in good performances.

“One thing I’m big on is that we bounce back from a bad performance, and I expect a very good performance at home and under the floodlights with our fans helping us.

“When we are struggling, we need a little help from our friends. The fans need to help us if things are not going the right way – we would appreciate that a lot.

“Our fans are very good. They understand that we’ve been on a fantastic journey with so many magic moments over the last couple of years, and hopefully we can create even more.

“Sometimes there are small setbacks, but we will always come back stronger.”

Tickets for Brentford’s Carabao Cup game against Arsenal are on sale to all season ticket holders, as well as My Bees Members with 10+ TAPs. Members with 40+ TAPs can now purchase up to six tickets each. Buy now.