Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was impressive last season, and is now racking up the accolades for his performances.
He was named in the PFA Team of the Year last week and has now been nominated for the Yashin Trophy, the high-profile trophy awarded to the best-performing goalkeeper in the world.
Ramsdale has now become the first Arsenal player in history to be nominated for the award, which was created in 2019 as a trophy alongside the Ballon d’Or.
No Arsenal goalkeeper has received recognition at this high-profile stage before, aside from Petr Cech during his days at Chelsea, highlighting just how highly-rated the 25-year-old’s performances were last season.
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Ramsdale conceded 43 times in 38 league games as Arsenal finished second, whilst also keeping 14 clean sheets, a total only bettered by David De Gea at Manchester United.
Other nominees include former Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez, Manchester City’s Ederson and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, among others.
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Arsenal’s goalkeeping evolution
There have been rumours in recent days that Mikel Arteta could drop Aaron Ramsdale for summer signing David Raya, but whilst this might be a disappointment for the England international, it highlights just how strong Arsenal are in the position now.
Arsenal went through years of underwhelming goalkeepers, with Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Petr Cech and David Ospina all disappointing.
Whilst Bernd Leno was a strong option, Ramsdale overtook the German as Arteta looked to evolve Arsenal’s style of play, which requires goalkeepers to be strong with their footwork.
When Ramsdale came in, he was a revelation, and given his age, he still has a lot of room to grow as a goalkeeper.
Even if he is dropped for Raya, this level of competition could push him to further improve, having received criticism in recent weeks, but there is no doubt that Arsenal found a rough diamond when they signed him two years ago.