Arsenal pushing to sign English star from League 1 club – Reports
Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a move for Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle before the transfer window grinds to a halt. The Gunners want to add a third shot-stopper after Karl Hein joined Real Valladolid on loan, with Aaron Ramsdale also on the verge of leaving.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal hope to sign at least one goalkeeper before the summer transfer window closes on Friday (August 30). The Gunners have been looking for a goalkeeper with homegrown status to join the first team and they are now considering Wigan’s Sam Tickle along with Wolverhampton Wanderers Dan Bentley.
The abovementioned source also claims that they’ve identified Espanyol’s Joan Garcia as a replacement for Aaron Ramsdale, who is available for transfer. It remains to be seen if the 23-year-old would sacrifice first-team football and move to the Emirates.
Sam Tickle, a product of Wigan Academy and a former England youth international, made his senior debut in 2023 and has since accumulated 58 appearances for the club, registering 20 clean sheets.
In 2023-24, he was named Wigan's Player of the Season after playing a crucial role in helping the team secure a 12th-place finish in League One despite starting the campaign with an eight-point deduction.
Arsenal and Southampton have agreed on Aaron Ramsdale deal – Reports
According to reports, Arsenal have reached an agreement with Southampton over the sale of Aaron Ramsdale. The Gunners have been wanting to part ways with Ramsdale who lost his coveted spot in the team’s starting XI to David Raya. It seems like he could be ready to exit the club.
As per Sky Sports, Southampton have agreed with Arsenal on a fee for the permanent transfer of Ramsdale. The initial fixed fee is £18 million, with a potential to increase to £25 million based on performance-related add-ons. Negotiations are going on to finalize the remaining terms of the deal and there is optimism from all parties involved that the transfer will be completed successfully.
Meanwhile, Ramsdale is keen to move away from Arsenal, with former goalkeeper David Seaman urging him to leave the north London club.
"I’ve always said Aaron is too good to be a number two. He’s a fantastic player. He needs to play. Wherever that is, I don’t know. It’s a weird situation. Ideally, you’d love him to stay because that would be great for the club. But he needs to move for his career. And that includes England because, if he’s not playing, he’ll keep dropping down the pecking order with them," Seaman said (via Mirror).
Ramsdale joined Arsenal in 2021 from Sheffield United for a reported fee of £24 million and has made 89 appearances (32 clean sheets) for the north London club to date.