Weeks into the current Premier League season, Mikel Arteta decided to displace Aaron Ramsdale as his number one and replace him with David Raya, who is on-loan from Brentford.
That call caused a huge stir and it still is a talking point to this day, with Paul Merson stating that he simply now ‘has to fight for his place’ at Arsenal, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (06/01/24 at 2:10 pm).
The one positive Paul Merson can draw out of this current Aaron Ramsdale position is that he is still ‘young’, and because he is a goalkeeper, he will only get ‘better’.
The 25-year-old still has the best years ahead of him, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t harming the present.
Previously, the £30 million Arsenal signing would be a shoo-in to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad and be part of the three-man goalkeeping set-up.
That’s not nailed on now, especially with Euro 2024 around the corner, so if it makes the player a little nervous, then you can’t blame him.
Aaron Ramsdale’s Arsenal future
“Goalkeeper, he signed the contract, it’s the way it rolls,” said Merson. “It’s horrible, but that’s the way it is.
“He signed a contract, they brought in another goalie and now he (Raya) is number one at the moment and he (Ramsdale) has to fight for his place. It’s as simple as that.
“When you sign these contracts for £150k-a-week, that’s just the way it goes. You can’t just go ‘oh, I am not in the team, so I am leaving and playing somewhere else’. Horrible position for goalkeepers.
“So, for me, he will have to fight for his place. The only positive I will say at the moment. Be patient and he is only young. Goalkeepers, the only position where the older you get, the better you get.”
Aaron Ramsdale needs to be selfish
That’s what goalkeepers of the past at Arsenal have done. Been selfish and then got rewarded for it.
Emiliano Martinez moved to Aston Villa, became a key player, earned caps for Argentina, won the World Cup, helped Villa back to Europe and is now sitting second in the Premier League table with Unai Emery.
Bernd Leno is another who departed, this time for Fulham during the summer of 2022. He proceeded to help them to a top-ten finish and was one of the best keepers in the league last season.
So, the grass is greener if Ramsdale decides to head for the exit door this month, otherwise, he might just find himself staying at home for the Euros.
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