Mikel Arteta provides update on Aaron Ramsdale's Arsenal future
Chris Sutton believes Arsenal’s goalkeeping “shenanigans” could come back and bite them. Mikel Arteta brought in David Raya on loan from Brentford over the summer to provide competition for first-choice shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale and the results have been disastrous.
Both players look like a shadow of their former selves between the sticks at the Emirates with the pressure of competing for a starting place appearing to impact their performances. Raya was among the best keepers in the 2022/2023 campaign but is now leading the charts for the most errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, Ramsdale, who barely put a foot wrong last season, has looked shaky when called upon. By comparison, Tottenham completed arguably the best bit of business this summer by signing Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli for just £17.2million.
The Italian is a clear starter for Spurs and has been right up there with the best goalkeepers in the world this year. Empoli will be kicking themselves that they didn’t demand more money for the 27-year-old.
Speaking on the BBC 606 podcast with Robbie Savage, Sutton was discussing Arsenal’s biggest issues this season. Besides bashing their new brand of defensively-minded football the former Blackburn Rovers star highlighted Arsenal’s issues in goal.
“Then you have the goalkeeping shenanigans at Arsenal, where are you on that? Because Spurs don’t have that problem, it’s just Vicario,” he said. Gooners are split on the goalkeeping situation with many believing that Ramsdale should still be starting.
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Ramsdale’s father Nick has been extremely critical about the manner in which Arteta dropped his son. During a recent appearance on the Highbury Squad podcast, Ramsdale Sr said: “We did not have a clue [Ramsdale was going to be dropped]. I didn’t have a clue, our family didn’t have a clue, Aaron didn’t have a clue that he was not going to carry on playing. All of a sudden, he’s not been played.
“You just have to look at it personally and I’m probably saying too much but: Aaron is going to be the cup goalkeeper, and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending-off. And Aaron’s got to live with that and he is living with that even though he’s not been told it. By anybody.
“Squads evolve all the time, nobody is going to be there forever. David Raya has not pulled up trees so far, let’s say he’s not going to. Even though the way it’s been done, in my eyes, it’s been wrong.”
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