Arsenal icon David Seaman has urged Mikel Arteta to start Aaron Ramsdale and Emile Smith Rowe when the Gunners travel to Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Emirates Stadium club kick off their run in the competition away to the Bees in the third round. Arsenal only join the Carabao Cup now owing to their Champions League tour. Whilst Brentford edged their second-round trip to League Two team, Newport County, on penalties.
A trip to the Gtech Community Stadium could prove to be the perfect opportunity for Arteta to rotate his ranks. It may also be an ideal opportunity for Ramsdale to show is still Arsenal’s No1 over David Raya. The 25-year-old has just lost his spot to the on-loan Bees goalkeeper.
Seaman wants Ramsdale and Smith Rowe to face Brentford in the Carabao Cup
Another Gunners star itching to get minutes in the Carabao Cup when Arsenal visit Brentford is Smith Rowe. Arteta has mostly ignored the 23-year-old for most of the season so far. So, the north London giant’s trip to the Bees may be a perfect proving ground for the playmaker.
Newport initially held Brentford to a 1-1 draw through normal time after Kiban Rai produced a 96th-minute equaliser. But the fourth-tier side spurned their opportunity to cause a shock in the Carabao Cup. Thomas Frank’s Premier League team won the shoot-out 3-0 to advance.
Smith Rowe has only played 24 minutes through Arsenal’s eight games in all competitions so far this season. He also earned 21 of those minutes as a substitute against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. Arteta has only introduced him during one Premier League fixture.
After spending five games as an unused substitute, Smith Rowe came on in the final stages of stoppage time against Tottenham Hotspur. He also only enjoyed the final minutes of their Community Shield comeback over Manchester City. But the Carabao Cup can be a chance.
Arsenal legend Seaman trusts Arteta with Ramsdale’s situation at the Emirates
This season was meant to be Smith Rowe’s resurgence at Arsenal after the academy product struggled with injuries last term. His fitness problems held the three-cap England maestro to only 195 minutes. Arteta also never started Smith Rowe in either of his 14 games in 2022/23.
Ramsdale may now face a similar situation after Raya started against Everton and Tottenham in the Premier League. Arteta also picked the on-loan goalkeeper against PSV and can play Raya against Brentford in the Carabao Cup. But Seaman wants to see Ramsdale start the tie.
Seaman has told the Express: “I’m sure Aaron will play against Brentford in the Carabao Cup and then we’ll see what happens after that. It’s a different time for goalkeepers at Arsenal.
“But we’ll have to wait and see if it works. I trusted in Mikel when he was talking about ‘the process’, and this is a new thing that Mikel is trying.”
The Arsenal icon added: “[Smith Rowe is] starting to get on now, his fitness levels should be top quality. He’s had injuries. It’s a case of balancing it, similarly to the goalkeeper situation – keep players happy, try and give them time. I’m sure he’ll start against Brentford.”
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