£30m Arsenal star once confided in Kalvin Phillips over Mikel Arteta frustration

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Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale was brutally axed from Mikel Arteta’s starting XI this season, and his long-term future at the club is in doubt.

David Raya was brought in from Brentford, and surpassed the England International in the pecking order. After a slow start at the club, Raya has now started to impress, in what has been a messy situation overall.

Ramsdale is popular among the Arsenal fanbase, and Arteta has been criticised for dropping him, and for creating a situation where both goalkeeper find themselves under pressure.

The 25-year-old is not the only England International to have struggled for game time this season, as Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips now looks set to join West Ham on loan after hardly featuring under Pep Guardiola.

It has now emerged that the pair have spoken to each other about their difficulties under both coaches.

Aaron Ramsdale spoke to Kalvin Phillips about gametime struggles

A report from the Daily Mail has now revealed that Phillips, who has had a nightmare time at the Etihad Stadium since his move at the start of last season, despite being part of a treble-winning side, spoke to Ramsdale on England duty about their respective struggles.

“On an England camp, Phillips confided in Aaron Ramsdale at how much of a change it all was. Ramsdale said similar about Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, with the pair now viewing the game in a wildly different way. Their careers have gone in similar directions since that conversation,” the report claimed.

Arteta and Guardiola’s similar approaches to management

Comparisons between Arteta and Guardiola have been consistently drawn since the former Arsenal midfielder left his role as Manchester City assistant to return to the Emirates as manager in 2019.

It often takes time for players to adapt to the high demands both managers require in their respective systems, and players such as Declan Rice and even Raya have admitted that Arteta has changed their understanding of the game.

Ramsdale’s conversation with Phillips may not have necessarily expressed his unhappiness at Arteta, but could have highlighted how difficult it is moving from a club lower down the table to his Arsenal side, with the goalkeeper arriving for around £30m from Sheffield United.

Both Phillips and Ramsdale are likely to start next season away from the Spaniards, but both players may feel that they learned a lot under their guidance, despite a lack of game time in this campaign.