Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Stephen Kelly believes that one Arsenal star has failed to impress Mikel Arteta.
Aaron Ramsdale had a nightmare moment between the sticks for Arsenal against Brentford on Saturday.
Whilst the 25-year-old goalkeeper was able to make a couple of impressive second-half saves to atone for his error, he almost cost the Gunners some vital points in the Premier League title race.
On the stroke one half-time, with the north London club 1-0 up, Ramsdale was guilty of a calamitous mistake. He lingered far too long on the ball, when he had simple passing options available to him. This gave Yoane Wissa an opportunity to close him down. The Brentford striker was able to block the England man’s attempted clearance, and the ball then bounced into the back of the Arsenal net.
After the break, Ramsdale was able to rise to the occasion when called upon. He tipped a Nathan Collins header over the bar, and was also able to claw away a long-range effort from Ivan Toney which had otherwise looked destined to nestle in the top corner.
There is an argument that David Raya, who has usurped the £30 million former Sheffield United man in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium this season, might have had a tougher time making either of these saves, as he lacks Ramsdale’s height. However, the Spaniard, who was ineligible for this fixture due to being on loan from Brentford, is more assured with the ball at his feet and is generally less error-prone. Certainly in the case of a goalkeeper, and this seems to be Mikel Arteta’s thinking, there is more value in a player that consistently does the basic things very well, rather than a player who can occasionally produce the spectacular.
Aaron Ramsdale fails audition against Brentford ahead of Porto clash
Arsenal are aware that Ramsdale is all but certain to leave Arsenal this summer. Raya will also return to the starting XI for Tuesday evening’s all-important Champions League round of 16 clash against Porto. The Gunners go into that second-leg game already 1-0 down on aggregate, so there really is no room for error. Ramsdale may well have now played his last game for the club, as he by no means did enough against the Bees to reopen the Arsenal goalkeeper debate which dominated the early part of the season.
That is certainly the view of the Stephen Kelly. Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, he said, “he did redeem himself, but he’s not getting back in the team after this game. I know that sounds terrible, I know that’s harsh, but that’s it, isn’t it? That’s the decision made, because when you’re in a title race, and you’re this close to teams that are pretty perfect, like Liverpool and [Man] City, those errors can cost you. I think, as much as he did well with the saves, it’s that footballing ability and that goal, he’s not done himself any favours to get that starting place.”
Arsenal fans were at least pleased that Ramsdale was able to make amends against Brentford and that his error did not prevent them from clinching a vital victory.
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