Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to call Aaron Ramsdale his first-choice goalkeeper, hinting that new signing David Raya could very well take his place down the road.
Concluding a summer-long pursuit, the Gunners signed David Raya on loan from Brentford earlier in August. The 27-year-old is one of the best keepers in the English Premier League and Arteta believes that the competition for places will greatly improve his team this season. The Spanish tactician also spoke about the importance of having two excellent players for one position, claiming it helps the team cope with unfortunate injuries.
Arsenal coach Arteta thinks it is important to be prepared for setbacks
When asked if Arsenal have a first-choice goalkeeper, Arteta responded (via The Mirror):
“No. In any position no. Nine, six, goalkeeper, no. There isn’t. We want two players per position that can do that. You saw, what happened to Jurrien can happen to our goalkeeper, it happened to Thibaut Courtois.
“We need to be prepared because the question is ‘why do you have two goalkeepers of this size’ but If Aaron were to sustain a cruciate, then what would you say? You would change your question. So we have to be prepared, we have to be proactive.”
He added:
“We have two excellent goalkeepers now and they give us exactly what we want in our model so I’m very happy with that. To have two excellent goalkeepers is great. Nothing is wrong. We have two great left wingers, two great strikers and three great holding midfielders with Jorginho, Thomas (Partey) and Declan (Rice).
“That is not a problem and it should not be a problem. We want to be better and to be better the environment has to change.”
Aaron Ramsdale could struggle to keep Raya at bay
England international Ramsdale performed pretty well in the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, keeping 14 clean sheets in 38 appearances. The 25-year-old impressed with his distribution and command of the box. However, there were instances where he showcased poor awareness and committed unforced errors.
Raya has a little more experience, is better on the ball, and is even less prone to errors. If Ramsdale does not tighten up his act and continues gifting opportunities to opponents, Arteta would not hesitate to give the gloves to the newcomer.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
