Sol Campbell was thoroughly impressed by ‘breath of fresh air’ Aaron Ramsdale impact on the team and his performances in the North London Derby.
Aaron Ramsdale played in his first-ever north London Derby and showed great response to the hate messages he received following his move to Arsenal. The English goalkeeper, signed from Sheffield United for a fee of £24 million, rising to £30 million, was one of the best players on the pitch for the Gunners.
He’s also endeared himself to the Arsenal fanbase for his passionate displays and commanding presence in the box, something the north Londoners have lacked for a long time. His performances have shown what Mikel Arteta’s side have been missing despite Germany international Bernd Leno’s presence in recent years.
When Arsenal were on the verge of signing him, their fanbase retaliated and opposed the move, claiming the club need not spend so much money on a backup goalkeeper. However, the former Sheffield United star has taken no time to dislodge Leno and take over the No.1 spot, which is his to lose from here on.
The praises continue to outpour for Ramsdale, and he made a telling contribution with some decent stops. His late save from a deflected Lucas Moura shot has been hailed as a ‘worldie’ by Arsenal legend David Seaman in the post-match interview, and now Sol Campbell has chipped in with his review of the shot-stopper.
What a save this was ?
? @AaronRamsdale98 pic.twitter.com/2kAuxJd7kd
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 28, 2021
Campbell, speaking to talkSPORT, hailed Ramsdale’s presence describing him as a ‘breath of fresh air’ in this Arsenal team. Football 365 posted some of the Arsenal legend’s quotes on their site, where Campbell had nothing but positive words for one of the Gunners’ summer signings.
Campbell said, “I think it’s great to see, he’s engaged with all the players. He made a really good save, tipped it onto the bar [from Lucas Moura’s shot], it could’ve been 3-2. The attitude is spot on as well; he’s talking, a bit of banter in there – I love that. I feel comfortable in that.”
“I think it’ll bring the best out of players, and you need that sometimes. In the difficult moments throughout the season, there’s going to be ups and downs, and you need those characters around the pitch. It seems like he’s been there forever; it’s been a breath of fresh air him going in there.”
“Maybe because he’s come from a different type of club, he’s a bit more vocal; he’s got that way about him. I think that’s what Arsenal needed – a little bit old school, in your face, big, tall, a big character. Arsenal is built on big characters.”
Judging by the kind of impact Ramsdale has made in his early days as an Arsenal player, it looks like Bernd Leno’s days at the Emirates could be numbered, amid interest from Inter Milan. As for the Englishman, the only way for him appears to be up after a couple of difficult seasons with Bournemouth and Sheffield United.
