Mikel Arteta has taken a team that looked utterly hopeless and destined for years of underachieving and has guided them into back-to-back Premier League title races.
mikel-arteta-arsenal-premier-league
The road to this point has been paved with new signings and littered with discarded old ones, and while the squad is significantly better today than even two years ago, a few players need to be let go, one of whom is earning more than Leandro Trossard.
Aaron Ramsdale's Arsenal career
The player in question is goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who signed for the Gunners from Sheffield United in 2021 for around £30m.
Aaron-Ramsdale-Arsenal
At the time, this raised a lot of eyebrows as the Englishman had just been relegated with the Blades and Bernd Leno was seen as a reliable pair of hands at the Emirates.
However, it didn't take long for others to see what Arteta and Edu Gaspar saw in the Chesterton-born ace as not long into his first season with the North Londoners, the "phenomenal" shotstopper, as described by former Arsenal keeper David Seaman, was putting in brilliant performances, with his display away to Leicester City a clear highlight in his early career.
By the end of the 2021/22 campaign, it was blindingly obvious that the 25-year-old was good enough to be Arsenal's number one keeper going forward. Throughout most of last season, he continued to show that, with his performance at Anfield being another standout moment for him, notably making a number of jaw-dropping saves late on.
However, the key word there is 'most' as there were a few worrying signs from the 6 foot 2 titan as well, such as at home against Southampton, when he was entirely to blame for the Saints' opening goal and, therefore, ultimately cost the team two points in a period in which the team was slipping further from the title.
With doubts about Ramsdale's ability to cope with a title challenge starting to creep in, Arteta made the surprise decision to bring in David Raya from Brentford last summer.
While the Spaniard told the media that he did not consider either keeper to be number one, it was very quickly apparent that his compatriot would be starting for most of the season, and so far, Ramsdale has only made 11 appearances, while Raya has made 40.
David-Raya-Mikel-Arteta
Overall, the Englishman's time as the number one keeper is clearly up, and given his significant wages, he simply has to be moved on in the summer.
Aaron Ramsdale's wages at Arsenal
According to Capology, Ramsdale earns around £120k-per-week at the Emirates, making him the highest-paid backup goalkeeper out of the traditional 'big six'.
Big six backup keepers' wages
Position
Player
Wage
Club
1
Aaron Ramsdale
£120k-per-week
Arsenal
2
Fraser Forster
£75K-per-week
Tottenham Hotspur
3
Robert Sanchez
£60k-per-week
Chelsea
4
Stefan Ortega
£55k-per-week
Manchester City
5
Altay Bayındır
£35k-per-week
Manchester United
6
CaoimhÃn Kelleher
£10k-per-week
Liverpool
All Wages via Capology
Although, closer to home, he is also earning £30k-per-week more than Leandro Trossard, who currently makes £90k-per-week.
Now, while the Belgian can't really complain about the amount he is making, it does seem odd that he is earning so much less than the man who has effectively become the club's backup keeper, especially when he has been so effective for the club since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion last year.
Trossard's Arsenal career
Season
2022/23
2023/24
Appearances
22
45
Goals
1
17
Assists
10
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.5
0.42
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In all, the former Seagulls ace has scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists in 67 games for the North Londoners so far in his career and in the last couple of months he has become a crucial player in Arteta's preferred starting lineup.
Ultimately, while Ramsdale deserves a lot of praise for the two seasons he regularly started at Arsenal, the fact that he has clearly fallen down the pecking order while maintaining his lofty wages is the reason he should be moved on in the summer, even if he is still a well-loved player.
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