Aaron Ramsdale’s latest comments won’t help his cause at Arsenal

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Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has broken his silence over losing his starting spot.

Brentford loanee David Raya recently usurped Aaron Ramsdale as the first-choice Arsenal goalkeeper.

Despite only signing a new long-term contract with the north London club in May 2023, Ramsdale now finds himself on the Arsenal bench playing a back up role to Raya.

Mikel Arteta appears to have decided that the Spaniard is a better fit to be the Arsenal No. 1. Speaking to The Guardian, Ramsdale has admitted that the situation has left him “suffering and hurting.”

The 25-year-old also noted that the press and media attention that his demotion has invited hasn’t been entirely welcome either. 

He said, “I know there’s a lot of noise but it doesn’t affect me…it’s a double-edged sword…it’s a strange, big headline and it’s one that we’re working through as a club.”

Ramsdale message could backfire

Regardless of whether Ramsdale feels the ‘noise’ affects him or not, it isn’t helpful for the club or Arteta. Speaking out in this interview now has only reignited the conversation about his circumstances and turned the volume up on all that noise once more.

Ramsdale may have slipped down the pecking order, but he can still fight back. By getting his head down and working hard in training – which I’m sure he is doing as well – and making sure he’s ready to impress if and when he is called upon.

Arteta likely won’t be delighted with Ramsdale’s comments, which may well have made the four-cap England man’s job all the harder. Even if he feels, on a personal level, that he ought to be given the chance to air his side of the story. A double-edged sword, indeed.

Ultimately, Ramsdale can justifiably feel hard done by. He did very little to deserve losing his place. It’s just hard to see how speaking out about it does anything towards helping him get his starting berth back.

One thing it may have achieved is alerting other clubs to how unhappy he is with his present situation at the Emirates Stadium with the January transfer window looming ever closer.