"It doesn't seem fair in some senses" - David James offers advice to Aaron Ramsdale on Arsenal future
Former England goalkeeper David James has offered advice to Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale amid his uncertain situation at the Emirates this season.
James has urged the 25-year-old to part ways with the Gunners to boost his chances of participating at the European Championship next summer.
The 2023-24 campaign is proving to be a torrid one for Ramsdale. The goalkeeper has been relegated to a bit-part role at the Emirates - albeit for unclear reasons - with manager Mikel Arteta giving preference to summer loan signing David Raya as the main option between the sticks.
The English goalkeeper risks missing out on Euro 2024 due to his limited involvement at club level. Reflecting on the situation, James couldn't help but advise the 25-year-old to seek a move away from Arsenal to keep his Euro 2024 prospects intact.
“If he has any chance of giving Gareth Southgate a headache over goalkeeping selection, he won’t be doing that sat on the bench at Arsenal,” the former Three Lions star said in quotes conveyed by Mirror.
“He might have to have a conversation with Mikel (Arteta) and his agent and see if there’s an opportunity for him to play the rest of the season somewhere else."
James went on to recall how he faced a similar thing during his time at Liverpool before saying that Arteta's handling of the situation doesn't seem fair.
“I had a similar situation myself at Liverpool, when Brad Friedel was brought in," he continued.
"There’s a part of you that wants to knuckle down and work harder, but, then, you look at the guy coaching you and think ‘it was your intervention that brought my challenger to the club, how much will me working harder make you go back on the decision to bring someone else in?’. It’s a Sisyphean task."
“David Raya has been a fantastic goalkeeper in the Premier League. There is no question about that. But he has made mistakes I don’t think Ramsdale has made, then Arteta comes out and defends Raya. It doesn’t seem fair in some senses,” the Englishman said.
Aaron Ramsdale's numbers for Arsenal this season
Aaron Ramsdale has made six appearances for Arsenal across competitions this season, conceding seven goals and recording two clean sheets. That includes four appearances in the Premier League and two in the EFL Cup.
The goalkeeper is yet to participate in the UEFA Champions League this season and has missed out on the Gunners' last eight Premier League games. However, he's expected to feature in the league when the Londoners return to action at Brentford this weekend.
David Raya, who arrived on loan from the Bees during the summer, isn't eligible to face his former side, leaving Arteta with no tangible option than to give Ramsdale the nod.