Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor thinks Aaron Ramsdale should consider leaving Arsenal in January. Ramsdale was dropped for summer signing David Raya against Everton for the first time since March 2022. Raya also started ahead of Ramsdale in last night’s Champions league win against PSV.
Arsenal signed Ramsdale for £30m from Sheffield United in 2021. He’s since made 83 appearances for the club and has been a crucial part of Arsenal’s recent success in qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in six seasons.
When asked whether Ramsdale needs to leave in January if Raya continues in the starting XI, Aston Villa legend Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “100 per cent. He has to go and play somewhere. Ramsdale will be devastated. He got his team into the Champions League, he was a big part of it. But football is heartless and brutal.”
Raya was brought in on a season-long loan in the summer from Brentford. Stats actually show that the Spain international has made more saves, prevented more goals and made less errors than Ramsdale since the start of last season. On the basis of those stats it would seem that Raya is the logical choice for Mikel Arteta to stick with despite Ramsdale’s outstanding performances last season.
Gunners boss Arteta recently spoke after the win over Everton on the reasoning behind dropping Ramsdale.
“It’s the same rationale as to why Fabio (Vieira) and Gabby [Jesus] played,” he said post-match. “I haven’t had a single question about why Gabriel hasn’t been starting. He has won more trophies than anybody else in that dressing room, including me.
“I want Aaron to react the same as Gabriel Jesus. The same as Kai Havertz, as Takehiro Tomiyasu. Exactly the same. We play with 11 players, not 10 plus one.
“I’m a really young manager – I’ve been in the job three and a half years. I have few regrets but one of them is that on two occasions, I felt after 60 minutes and 85 minutes of two games in this period to change the goalkeeper in that moment.
“I didn’t do it. I didn’t have the courage to do it. But I’m able to take a winger or striker and put a centre-back on to play a back five to hold on to a result. We drew those games and I was so unhappy.”
Arsenal’s second choice goalkeeper of last season, Matt Turner joined Nottingham Forest after seeking regular first team football. Chelsea and Bayern Munich are reportedly showing interest in signing Ramsdale in January transfer window.
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