Arsenal have a decision to make on Aaron Ramsdale’s future before deadline day, as the goalkeeper continues to generate interest.
Edu and Mikel Arteta have rejected the most recent approach for Aaron Ramsdale from Ajax, who want to sign the Englishman on an initial loan.
Arsenal would prefer to offload Ramsdale permanently, hence the decision to reject the Eredivisie giants’ opening proposal.
As the 26-year-old’s future moves further and further away from North London, a possible replacement has come to light for Arteta to consider.
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Arsenal target Joan Garcia as an Aaron Ramsdale replacement
David Ornstein broke the news of Arsenal’s dismissal of Ajax’s approach for Ramsdale, stating that the Dutch club’s offer ‘did not suit’ the Gunners’ plan.
When reporting Ajax’s attempt to sign the shot-stopper, Ornstein named Joan Garcia as a possible replacement for the England international at the Emirates.
The Athletic’s report on the matter said that Arsenal have ‘lined up’ the Espanyol ‘keeper as a direct replacement for Ramsdale as the squad’s number two behind David Raya.
Garcia’s focus will remain on the challenge ahead at Espanyol, who were promoted to LaLiga from LaLiga Segunda, although, he may be aware that eyes from the Premier League are on him.
Why Arsenal want to sign Joan Garcia to replace Ramsdale
Signing a second-choice goalkeeper is a challenging task for any club, with the prospect of spending a significant amount of time away from the action less attractive for the player.
That being said, from a club point of view, it’s abundantly clear why Arsenal are said to be eyeing Garcia, whose profile could offer Arteta something that the boss doesn’t currently have in Ramsdale.
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The numbers obtained from Ramsdale’s 2022/23 Premier League season and Garcia’s past 365 days of football show exactly why the Gunners are targeting the Spaniard.
When it comes to eyeing a dominant figure in the box, there are few better than the Arsenal target, who excels at claiming crosses.
Garcia maintained an average of stopping 16.1% of crosses over the past year, which are monstrous numbers compared to Ramsdale’s average of stopping a mere 5.8% in the 2022/23 Premier League, via FBref.
As well as his commanding presence, the 23-year-old maintained a higher save percentage than Ramsdale, with 82.5% to the Englishman’s 70.6% in 2022/23.
While Arteta’s attitude towards Ramsdale implies that Raya is Arsenal’s unquestionable number one, recruiting Garcia as a number two would be an incredibly smart move by the Gunners, with little quality set to be jeopardised in the process.
The development of Ramsdale’s future and Edu’s activity in the goalkeeping market will be something to monitor from now until deadline day.
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