Aaron Ramsdale shares what he’s found ‘difficult’ since losing Arsenal place to David Raya

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal’s goalkeeping position has come under intense scrutiny this season, with Aaron Ramsdale losing his starting spot to summer signing David Raya.

Raya joined on loan from Brentford with an option to buy in the summer, in something of a surprise move given that Ramsdale was excellent last season.

Ramsdale initially started the season, before being dropped after the September International break, and he was the subject of intense media focus whenever he was on the bench, and Raya recently insisted that the pair have a good relationship.

His father even had an online spat with Jamie Carragher, after the pundit spoke about Ramsdale’s reaction to a save made by Raya, and the England International has now spoken out about his situation.

Ramsdale bemoans media focus

Speaking to The Guardian, Ramsdale claimed that his situation, which currently sees him on the bench for both club and country, is a difficult one as he will face criticism for his bench reactions no matter what he does.

“Because it’s one of the first times it’s happened with the situation, it has been difficult,” Ramsdale stated.

“There are times where you’re doing the right thing but it’s the wrong thing and if you don’t do it, it’s the wrong thing. So it’s a double-edged sword.

“There’s a lot … a lot of attention. It’s a position where it’s famously said if you’re not spoken about, it means you’ve done a good job. There’s a lot of talk at the minute.

“Whether it is me or David who plays we need to be able to just focus and play but at the same time, it’s a strange, big headline. It’s one that we’re working through as a club and it’s one that the manager puts in front of us and we have to deal with it. That is what we are doing.”

Scrutiny over Arsenal’s goalkeepers

The increased focus on Ramsdale helps neither keeper. Each time Raya now makes a mistake, Ramsdale’s name is mentioned, and should Ramsdale come back in, the same scrutiny will now apply to him.

This is a negative impact of having two strong goalkeeping options in the squad, as many will believe that the wrong option is being selected by Mikel Arteta.

With Ramsdale also being benched for both Champions League games so far, he has had little chance of forcing his way back into the side, and with Raya coming under some criticism as well, it is a situation that may only get worse unless Arteta finds a solution to make both players satisfied.