£30m Arsenal player has to start in Seville tomorrow, Mikel Arteta must keep his word

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Mikel Arteta now needs to start Aaron Ramsdale against Sevilla tomorrow if he was telling the truth about rotating his Arsenal goalkeepers this season.

When Arteta signed David Raya, he insisted that there wouldn’t be a clear number one at the side this season, instead the two keepers would compete for the spot.

And as result of some very nervous Raya displays – which is understandable given the pressure he’s under, Ramsdale should now be back in net.

Right now it does seem as if Raya is Arsenal’s new number one, and fans surely would back that decision given their trust in Arteta.

However, the frustration, and part of the pressure on the situation, seems to be stemming from Arteta’ insistence that he’s making a pragmatic decision game to game.

Arteta interestingly revealed that he regretted the decision to not substitute goalkeepers in the past when he deemed it necessary.

And it certainly would have been interesting to see if the manager would have made that call were Ramsdale available at Chelsea.

But given Raya once again conceded a key chance with his wayward distribution against Chelsea, Arteta should surely now start Ramsdale against Sevilla. 

It will be a big statement if Arteta chooses not to start Ramsdale against Sevilla

This isn’t a call for Raya to be dropped, he’s had some excellent moments, rather a call for Ramsdale to get his chance too.

Arteta has previously compared the situation of changing his goalkeepers to that of his outfield players, saying there’s no reason why he wouldn’t sub Gabriel Jesus for example.

But perhaps the best comparison is with his management of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

A full-back who is truly unique in his ability to control and progress possession when inverting centrally.

But a defender who now often struggles to contain the best wingers one versus one.

And given Takehiro Tomiyasu was needed at half-time against Chelsea, that does beg the question of whether Zinchenko is becoming too high maintenance at Arsenal. 

Nonetheless, Mikel Arteta seems to want these kinds of decisions game to game.

He wants tactical flexibility in every call he makes.

And given what tough evening it will be against Sevilla, it seems the perfect time for Arteta to reinstate £30m Ramsdale into his Arsenal team.