Aaron Ramsdale has fallen down the pecking order after the arrival of David Raya, and Micah Richards has said Arsenal should have sold him.
Mikel Arteta decided to sign David Raya from Brenftord in the summer, and he plans to use both goalkeepers this season. Former Premier League defender Micah Richards believes that the arrival offer Raya has affected Aaron Ramsdale and that his confidence is now shot.
He said on The Rest is Football podcast, “I believe now Ramsdale’s confidence has been shot just because he has brought in someone and basically said he was going to use both goalkeepers.”
The pundit then added, “Ramsdale had an excellent season last season, so I don’t get it. If he wanted to replace him, just do it in the summer. Bring in Raya as the number one and get a number two who can challenge.”
Richards then continued, “Why would you want both? Let Ramsdale go and be a number one somewhere where he is appreciated.”
The 25-year-old English goalkeeper had an excellent 2022/23 campaign, and he helped Arsenal challenge for the league title. Therefore, Arteta’s decision to bring in more competition for the goalkeeping department has been quite surprising.
There is no doubt that Raya is a top-quality goalkeeper who has proven himself in the Premier League with Brentford. He is expected to be the first-choice shot-stopper at Arsenal in the coming months, and it will be interesting to see if Ramsdale can fight it out with him for the starting spot.
Micah Richards believes that Arsenal should have sold Ramsdale during the summer transfer window and brought in another keeper to act as an understudy to Raya. Keeping both goalkeepers at the club does not make sense and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
Ramsdale will be hoping to play regularly at this stage of his career, and it will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta handles the situation without affecting the harmony of the Arsenal dressing room. The Gunners managed to fight for the league title last season, and they will be hoping to go all the way this time around.
Also Read: Do Arsenal need that unwanted goalkeeping upgrade with David Raya?
Ramsdale was a key member of the dressing room last year, and the last thing Arsenal need is for him to kick up a fuss regarding playing time. It will be interesting to see if Arsenal decide to cash in on the player during the January transfer window if things do not improve in the coming months.
