Aaron Ramsdale makes decision on Arsenal future after being dropped by Mikel Arteta for David Raya - Reports
Aaron Ramsdale's future at Arsenal has become the subject of intense speculation after David Raya's recent run of games under manager Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard was signed from Brentford for a £3 million fee on a season-long loan transfer this summer with an option to make it permanent for £27 million. Ramsdale started all his team's first five games across competitions this season.
The Englishman was then dropped for the 1-0 league win against Everton on September 17, with Raya starting between the posts. Some believed it could have been to rest the former Sheffield United goalkeeper for Arsenal's first Champions League game in over six years.
However, question marks around Ramsdale's position in Arteta's team intensified after he was axed from the starting XI against PSV Eindhoven on September 20. The 25-year-old has been the Gunners' first-choice goalkeeper since arriving in 2021.
Consecutive snubs from Arteta could hamper Ramsdale's chances of being England's first-choice goalkeeper for the 2024 UEFA Euros in Germany, should The Three Lions qualify. However, TalkSPORT claim that Ramsdale is content with staying at the club and does not want to rush into deciding on a potential exit.
The four-cap England international is apparently up for the challenge to try and win back his spot from Raya. It remains to be seen if Arteta continues to pick Raya in goal when Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 24) in the season's first north London derby.
Mikel Arteta pleased with Aaron Ramsdale's reaction to Arsenal snub
Two years ago, Aaron Ramsdale arrived at Arsenal from Sheffield United and displaced their then-first-choice goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The same thing could now happen to the Englishman. In the build-up to the Spurs game at the Emirates, Arteta said about Ramsdale's reaction to David Raya being preferred in the XI (via the club's website):
"He’s (Aaron Ramsdale) been very supportive. He’s been really good around the place, and that’s what I expect from every single player, because when you are on the field there is someone else who is not. So it goes both ways, and, so far, he’s been really really good."
Ramsdale has arguably not done anything to warrant being axed from the XI, but Raya brings something different with his passing range and ability on the ball.
Ramsdale, a former Bournemouth shot-stopper, has kept 30 clean sheets in 83 games for the Gunners. He has three years left in his deal with the north London giants.