Arsenal are reportedly ready to block a potential January exit for second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale amidst interest from Chelsea.
According to Football Insider, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wants Aaron Ramsdale to stay at the Emirates despite mounting speculation over a January move to fellow London rivals Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta’s decision to bring in David Raya from Brentford over the summer has caused much controversy amongst the football community, with many pundits believing it is creating unnecessary competition at the Emirates Stadium this season.
The England international went into the new campaign as the Gunners’ undisputed number one. However, after only four Premier League games, Ramsdale was displaced as number one by Raya, with Arteta opting to swap goalkeepers despite the former Sheffield United stopper making no big errors.
Since then, both Raya and Ramsdale have made a lot of mistakes during the current campaign, which has put the goalkeeper position at Arsenal under even more scrutiny.
The 25-year-old has had just one more Premier League outing since, against Brentford, with Raya unable to feature against his parent club, while he has also been used in the League Cup and started from the outset in the meaningless final Champions League group stage encounter against PSV Eindhoven last week.
With the European Championships on the horizon, Ramsdale is said to be “frustrated” with his situation and has been increasingly linked with a winter exit away from north London in search of regular game time elsewhere.
He is garnering interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Wolves and Newcastle United, the latter of whom are in the market for a goalkeeper after learning Nick Pope will be ruled out for at least four months due to a shoulder injury.
Chelsea have been repeatedly linked with the Arsenal goalkeeper after No. 1 Robert Sanchez picked up an injury during the Blues’ 2-0 loss against Everton at Goodison Park last weekend. For now, head coach Mauricio Pochettino looks set to put his faith in summer recruit Djordje Petrovic, who featured in the closing stages of the defeat at Goodison Park and was a penalty shoot-out hero against Newcastle in the EFL Cup quarterfinal.
Despite reduced game time this season, a potential Ramsdale exit could pose a risk to Arteta, who is “keen to keep two top-class shot-stoppers at the club” and would have to call on 21-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Karl Hein. The Spaniard is also reluctant to boost a London rival, so Arsenal may turn down any offers for their backup goalie in the upcoming January transfer window.
