Despite the acquisition of Raya, Ramsdale began the 2023/24 season in between the sticks, but following the September international break, a major change was made. Raya was named as the goalkeeper set to start against Everton with a clean sheet in that game and one in his Champions League debut against PSV four days later, perhaps proving Arteta had made the right call.
Tough moments have followed against Tottenham and Manchester City with a mistake against RC Lens in the Champions League also costing the Gunners, however Arteta is sticking by his decision. Despite losing his place in the team, Ramsdale has remained a member of Gareth Southgate's England squad.
While in Three Lions camp, Ramsdale took on Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in a game of Carrot in a Box. Discussing the funny matchup, Nketiah told Channel 4: "I think that's going to be his downfall, to be honest, he wants to win too much." Ramsdale then appeared to speak for the first time on losing his starting spot with a brutally honest admission in response. "I do want to win," Ramsdale said. "I haven't won much recently."
The two teammates broke out into laughter, but it is certainly possible he was referring to the battle against Raya he is currently losing. Nonetheless, it has been proven that competition breeds excellence with Raya now commenting on the situation, revealing what Arteta has told him and his current relationship with Ramsdale.“I’m going to fight for it," Raya told The Athletic. "Arteta gives me the confidence to be there, that he wanted to have two top players in each position, and it was up to me to find the time and fight to get the minutes. I don’t want to think beyond that. If there are rotations, as there are in any position, I’m going to help on and off the pitch.”
“The relationship? It’s very good. At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems. We push each other every day in training: when he’s a little bit down, I push him, and when I’m a little bit down (he does the same). We train three goalkeepers, four at the most, for hours a week, and you need that kind of relationship because otherwise, the training is not going to go well."
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