Arsenal are preparing to bid farewell to Aaron Ramsdale as the goalkeeper closes in on a move to Southampton.
It’s been a trialling year for the Englishman, who was suddenly axed from Mikel Arteta’s favoured XI to accommodate David Raya.
The 26-year-old has been expected to leave North London for the entirety of the summer, with a £25m deal now struck with the Saints.
Ramsdale’s three-year association with Arsenal will come to an end in unfortunate yet unsurprising circumstances.
Prior to Raya’s arrival, the England international was the Gunners’ firm number one however, the signs were there that Arteta required competition for the shot-stopper.
Here are five moments that ultimately decided Ramsdale’s fate at the Emirates.
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Five moments that ended Aaron Ramsdale’s Arsenal career
Southampton error 2022/23
The 2022/23 season was the beginning of Arsenal’s claim to becoming title contenders as the Gunners led the Premier League table for the majority of the campaign.
Despite the highs that were one show, title dreams quickly turned into nightmares as Arsenal crumbled in the latter stages of the calendar.
One of the decisive moments in the run-in was the 3-3 draw to later relegated Southampton at the Emirates, which Ramsdale played an unfortunate part in.
It was clear that Arsenal had to win however, the goalkeeper started the game in the worst possible way, misplacing a pass to play the ball into Carlos Alcaraz who netted the Saints’ opener after less than one minute.
The fixture ended 3-3, significantly denting the Gunners’ hopes of delivering a title 20 years after the Invincible season.
David Raya’s arrival
Quite obviously, Arsenal’s decision to recruit Raya from Brentford was a sign of things to come for Ramsdale, whose game time quickly fizzled out.
It was a shock decision from the Gunners, who recruited Brentford’s number one on loan and placed him in the starting XI just three fixtures after his arrival.
It’s not been all rosy for the Spaniard however, the backing he’s received from Arteta has clearly motivated him, making an exceptional start to the 2024/25 campaign.
- READ MORE: Gary Lineker says David Raya proved he’s ‘world-class’ vs Aston Villa after ‘big’ Arteta decision
Brighton defeat 2022/23
For all the joy that came from the 2022/23 season, there was so much pain in the run-in, with few fixtures as demoralising as losing 3-0 to Brighton at the Emirates in May.
Like the Southampton blunder, Ramsdale played an unfortunate part, as any sign of Arsenal salvaging a result from the fixture was lost in the 86th minute due to the ‘keeper’s mishap.
The 26-year-old played a similarly poor ball out to Brighton, resulting in Deniz Undav lobbing the Englishman to double the Seagull’s lead in North London.
Comments on concentration
Away from the pitch, Ramsdale was questioned over remarks on concentration during an interview collaboration with the Premier League and Budweiser.
Ian Wright joined the goalkeeper as he was quizzed on his career, where one alarming admission came to light.
“If you ask me to concentrate on a game of football for 90 minutes? I’m finished. I can’t do it,” Ramsdale said.
“That’s why I get involved with the fans and I’ll sing along with the songs. If someone is giving me abuse, I’ll turn round and give them a bit back.”
“I’ve had my 2-3 minutes of madness in my head and then straight back to the football. I’ve got my 10/15 minutes of pure concentration again, next thing you know, half time is around.”
Wright’s reaction said a lot and the goalkeeper’s comments might have impacted how Arteta planned ahead without him.
Given that Arsenal are battling to win the Premier League among other things, Ramsdale’s public admission to lapses in concentration were significantly alarming.
Brentford error 2023/24
After being dropped by Arteta, Ramsdale’s minutes were cut, with the ‘keeper either playing in the cup or as seen in the 2023/24 campaign, against Brentford.
Raya was on loan from the Bees last term, meaning he was not eligible to play against his parent club, so up stepped Ramsdale at the Emirates to show his worth to the manager.
Instead, the ‘keeper fell victim to another mistake when trying to clear the ball from the box, which should have been a simple passage of play but resulted in Yoane Wissa levelling the scoreline just before half-time.
If it wasn’t a long way back for Ramsdale before the game, it was even further after, in what was painful viewing for the shot-stopper, who was lacking confidence.
Ramsdale will be eyeing redemption at Southampton
For all of the mistakes that Ramsdale made during his time at Arsenal, the bad was outweighed by the good as the Gunners had a highly skilled international goalkeeper in their ranks.
For what Arteta wanted, the Englishman did not work however, that mustn’t take anything away from the quality he provided on numerous occasions for the North Londoners.
Everyone associated with Arsenal will wish Ramsdale all the best on his new venture to the South Coast.
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