Allardyce was speaking on No Tippy Tappy Football ahead of this weekend’s North London derby which pits two in-form sides against each other at the Emirates.
Aaron Ramsdale looks to be in serious danger of playing no part in that game after Mikel Arteta decided to make a change in goal before the Gunners faced Everton after the international break.
David Raya came in and subsequently kept his place for the Champions League opener with PSV Eindhoven. With that, it appears highly likely that the Spaniard will start against Tottenham this weekend.
Allardyce shocked by Ramsdale omission
It is a surprise to see how quickly Ramsdale has lost his place to Raya. Even if many expected a change when the latter arrived in the summer, few would have imagined that Arteta would make the switch straight after the first international break – particularly when Ramsdale has done little wrong.
Allardyce Ramsdale
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Certainly, Allardyce admitted that he was taken aback when he saw Ramsdale left on the bench against Everton.
“I was shocked on Ramsdale getting left out to be honest with you,” he told No Tippy Tappy Football. “I don’t know where the logic is in that. Maybe cup games you always give your goalie a game.
“You’ve got plenty of cup games at Arsenal, haven’t you, get through the rounds quite far. So you keep the goalie sharp and let him have a game or two. Switching around in the league, I don’t know whether it’s still the right thing to do.”
Arteta is surely going to need all of his man-management skills to keep both Ramsdale and Raya happy. Both are more than good enough to be the number one for a top side in the Premier League.
Before the summer, few Arsenal fans would have been calling for another goalkeeper to come in. Even if Ramsdale did make a couple of mistakes, there is absolutely no question that he had produced some huge performances for Arsenal in the title race.
He would not have taken the news that Raya was coming in particularly well. And now he is out of the team ahead of their Champions League return and the North London derby.
So there has surely got to be a big question mark over whether his long-term future still lies at Arsenal.
0 Comments