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Mikel Arteta delivers an update on the Aaron Ramsdale situation.
Aaron Ramsdale was cruelly cut from the starting lineup by Arsenal, but head coach Mikel Arteta has allegedly given the Englishman permission to stay at the team during the summer transfer window.
Despite Ramsdale’s Premier League relegations with Sheffield United and Bournemouth in the past, the Spaniard controversially appointed him as his new number one for the 2021–22 campaign, replacing Bernd Leno.
The entire Arsenal fan base did not welcome the Englishman, with some taking to social media to voice their strong disdain. However, Ramsdale soon proved the skeptics wrong in North London.
Ramsdale quickly caught the attention with his acrobatic prowess during his debut season, and he went on to keep 14 Premier League clean sheets in the 2022-23 season, as Arsenal led for the majority of the year until sliding to second place.
Arteta saw fit to add more competition for Ramsdale in the form of Brentford loanee David Raya, who forced his way into the starting lineup following the September international break and has been the Gunners’ unquestioned first choice ever since.
As a result, Ramsdale’s two Premier League outings since Raya’s debut have come against the Spaniard’s parent club Brentford, where he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 away win despite escaping penalty for a couple of errors.
The 25-year-old would not get away with such a blunder in March’s home game against the Bees, where he was charged down by Yoane Wissa for the visitors’ equaliser, but he redeemed himself with two key second-half saves in a 2-1 victory as Arsenal climbed to the lead.
Mikel Arteta hints Ramsdale stay at the Club
Arteta praised Ramsdale’s “amazing” rebound after his first-half gaffe, but Raya was immediately recalled to the first team, and the Gunners are poised to cut relations with the former this summer amid interest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Newcastle United.
However, speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s match against Luton Town, when Ramsdale is scheduled to start, Arteta confirmed that the England international is likely to remain at the club next season.
Arsenal’s decision to reward Ramsdale with a new contract just months before demoting him to the bench was particularly unusual, though one that they would not have sanctioned if Arteta had not viewed the Englishman as part of his long-term strategy.
The Gunners got no serious bids for the 25-year-old in the winter, and they were expected to turn them down anyhow, but their resolve will be tested in the summer, when Ramsdale may or may not represent England at the Euros.
Ramsdale is Jordan Pickford’s number two, thanks in large part to a lack of other available choices getting regular minutes, but there are no assurances that he will make the trip to Germany if domestic minutes continue to evade him.
Not long after his son dropped behind Raya in the pecking order, Ramsdale’s father stated that the goalie had “lost his smile” at Arsenal, who would almost definitely exercise their option to acquire Raya permanently after the season ends.
Barring a serious injury or a significant drop in form for the Brentford loanee, Ramsdale will face another season on the outskirts in 2024-25, although the 25-year-old’s chances of staying this summer are slim.
