The 25-year-old became the Gunners‘ first choice goalkeeper in his first season at the club in the 2021/22 campaign, stepping in for Bernd Leno after Mikel Arteta’s side’s poor start to the season.
Ramsdale is no longer Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper
Ramsdale is no longer Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper
He has since cemented himself as a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium and one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers.
But after losing out to Manchester City in the title race last season, and playing Arsenal’s opening four league matches this term, Ramsdale has now been dropped to the bench in the Premier League and Champions League.
Mikel Arteta opted to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya in the summer on a season-long loan, with an option for the Gunners to make the transfer permanent.
It was a deal many questioned but, after watching his first three league games from the bench, the Spanish goalkeeper has quickly slotted in as the club’s new first choice between the sticks.
Ramsdale has been resigned to Arsenal’s cup goalkeeper, leading to big questions over his future at the north London club.
And the England international has admitted it’s been a tough time.
“Because it’s one of the first times it’s happened with the situation, it has been difficult,” Ramsdale told The Mail. “There are times where you’re doing the right thing but it’s the wrong thing and if you don’t do it, it’s the wrong thing. So it’s a double-edged sword.
“There’s a lot… a lot of attention. It’s a position where it’s famously said if you’re not spoken about, it means you’ve done a good job. There’s a lot of talk at the minute.“Whether it is me or David who plays we need to be able to just focus and play but at the same time, it’s a strange, big headline. It’s one that we’re working through as a club and it’s one that the manager puts in front of us and we have to deal with it. That is what we are doing.”
But despite Ramsdale having to try and push Raya out of the team, the former Sheffield United star says he had the Spaniard get on well and even pick each other up when they’re down.
He continued: “We are with each other for three or four hours a day – there are four or five of us in that [goalkeeper] group so if we don’t get on it wouldn’t work.
“We work professionally really well together. We push each other in training and there’s days where I come in and I’m down because of the situation and he picks me up.
“And for whatever reason there might be a day where he’s down and even though I’m suffering and hurting for not playing I have to stand up and be able to push him.”
The media focus on the Gunners’ goalkeeper conundrum hit boiling point when Arsenal faced Tottenham in the north London derby.
It was the third game Ramsdale had found himself on the bench for since Raya’s arrival. However, the England international was seen clapping his teammate from the bench as he made a good save to deny Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher wasn’t sure on the gesture, though, joking that Ramsdale’s clap was like ‘when someone loses the Oscar and they start clapping and smiling for the other person’ whilst commentating for the game on Sky Sports.
It’s fair say Ramsdale’s father wasn’t keen on the pundit’s comment, telling Carragher he was a ‘disgrace’ and urging him to ‘show some class, my lad has’ on X.
Ramsdale clapping his teammate led to further debate over Arsenal’s goalkeeper situation
Ramsdale clapping his teammate led to further debate over Arsenal’s goalkeeper situation
But now, the Arsenal goalkeeper says his dad wasn’t out of line with his post, stating it had come after ‘a few too many’ on the golf course.
“This isn’t the first time my name has been in the press and it has been more negative stuff so I have drowned it out before,” Ramsdale said. “It doesn’t help that my dad does it but he was on a golf trip in Spain with 19 other lads from the local pub.
“To be honest, I wasn’t too mad at him. He didn’t say anything out of turn. It just wasn’t helpful for the situation, he knew that. He obviously just had a few too many on the golf course!
“It’s a decision I chose three years ago with my social media … turning things off. So a lot of things slip through the wayside for me. I know there’s a lot of noise but it doesn’t affect me.”
Arsenal face London rivals Chelsea on Saturday at Stamford Bridge as the Premier League resumes after the international break.
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