Mikel Arteta has shown a ruthless streak since taking charge at Arsenal that has served the club well. Eyebrows were raised when the Gunners moved for David Raya on an initial 12-month loan last season. Indeed, many believed Aaron Ramsdale did not deserve to be dislodged as the regular starter.
However, Arteta and sporting director Edu were long-term admirers of Raya and once the opportunity to bring him to north London arose, they quickly took it.
Raya was solid if not spectacular during his first season at Arsenal. By contrast, Ramsdale was shaky and error-prone during his limited appearances in the campaign.
Moving for Raya certainly appears to have been the right decision based on the two stars’ respective performances last term. Arsenal will soon activate their £27m option to buy in Raya’s loan agreement and sign the player outright.
That has raised questions as to whether Ramsdale – who cost £30m to sign from Sheffield United three years ago – has a future at Arsenal.
The 25-year-old is not content to warm the bench year after year and according to reports in Spain, another new signing will signal Ramsdale’s time with the Gunners is up.
Arsenal to sign direct Ramsdale replacement from Spain
Spanish journalist Gerard Romero claimed Arsenal are hot on the trail of Espanyol goalkeeper, Joan Garcia.
In fact, the report stated he’ll arrive at Arsenal ‘soon’ and is the future of their goalkeeping department.
Details beyond those rather vague claims were scarce. Nonetheless, Romero’s reporting was picked up by several English outlets including the Mirror.
When piggybacking on Romero’s reporting, the Mirror’s headline in their own article read: ‘Arsenal to announce first summer transfer ‘soon’ after winning Real Madrid race.’
Football London previously confirmed Garcia was on Real Madrid and Liverpool’s radars. Liverpool’s interest stems from the fact Alisson Becker’s back-up, Caoimhim Kelleher, is seeking a move away to become a guaranteed starter.
Garcia’s current contract with Espanyol – who won promotion back to LaLiga last season – contains a release clause understood to be worth £21m.
Whether Arsenal are going to trigger the clause or secure a deal for a lower sum remains to be seen.
In any case, what is clear is that if Garcia does join Arsenal then he won’t play a part in their pre-season preparations.
Garcia was recently named in Spain’s squad for the upcoming Olympic games in Paris. The schedule for the men’s competition runs from the first group stage match on July 24 to the final on August 9.
Game over for unhappy Ramsdale?
In the event Garcia were to arrive, the chances of Ramsdale leaving would unquestionably increase.
When speaking to talkSPORT earlier this month, Ramsdale vowed “never again” when discussing the stresses and strains of being rooted to the bench for much of the season.
“No footballer wants to not play,” said Ramsdale. “I’ve had a tough year personally not playing and I never want to do that again. It was tough, it was tough.”
However, the 18-year-old will slot into Arsenal’s academy and is not viewed as being ready for the first team just yet.
0 Comments