“With everyone on international duty, I feel it’s the right time to explain why Arteta is benching me,” says Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on losing the Number 1 spot to David Raya.
“With everyone on international duty, I think this is the right time to explain to the media why Arteta is benching me,” says Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, addressing why he lost the Number 1 spot to David Raya.
Aaron Ramsdale has opened up about losing his starting spot at Arsenal to David Raya with an honest admission. The 25-year-old goalkeeper had been Arsenal’s first choice for the past two years, having replaced Bernd Leno after joining from Sheffield United in 2021.
However, last month Ramsdale was benched by manager Mikel Arteta in favor of David Raya, who played in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Everton and has been preferred since. Raya, who joined the team this summer, has continued to be Arteta’s go-to goalkeeper.
Ramsdale recently made a self-deprecating joke about his situation in a video with his England teammates. While playing a game called “Carrot in a Box” with Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Ramsdale joked about his recent lack of wins. Nketiah commented on Ramsdale’s competitive nature, saying, “I think that’s going to be his downfall, to be honest, he wants to win too much.” Ramsdale replied humorously, “I do want to win. I haven’t won much recently,” which made them both laugh.
It is uncertain whether Ramsdale will regain his starting spot or if Raya will continue as the first-choice goalkeeper. Raya recently played in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City, keeping a clean sheet despite criticism of his ball distribution. On his podcast, Gary Neville mentioned his concerns about Raya’s performance, especially in the first half. Neville noted, “I was worried about the goalkeeper in the first half – he averted a crisis there. If he concedes a goal in the first half through one of those moments of anxiety, honestly you have seen it go like that. He had to get through that game and he did, otherwise, that could have been a big problem.”
As Arsenal prepares for their upcoming match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, fans and analysts are eager to see who Arteta will choose as the starting goalkeeper. Will Ramsdale return, or will Raya maintain his position?