Following the international break, Mikel Arteta may bench Aaron Ramsdale in favor of giving David Raya his Arsenal debut. Since his £24 million transfer from Sheffield United in 2021, Ramsdale became the Gunners’ starting center-back.
According to the Daily Mail, the Spanish goalkeeper, who has performed admirably in practice since his arrival, might now be allowed to play instead of Ramsdale. Since Raya’s arrival, the Arsenal No. 1 has been pressured to maintain his status as the team’s starting goalkeeper.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville openly questioned Arteta’s choice to bring in such formidable opposition for Ramsdale before the 2023–24 season.
Neville gave his assessment on Sky Sports, saying: “I’ve said this before, but I’m not a fan of competition for goalkeepers; I think you need a clear No.1 and then a clear No.2. That is my opinion after having had that experience at United.
During Arsenal Training, David Raya Stands Out
The issue is that you wind up in a situation where you ask, “Will they then play the next guy the next week?” every time a goalkeeper makes a mistake, which they invariably do.
Once you do that, you’ve weakened the situation and put everyone on the team in what I believe to be a very tough position: your back four isn’t stable, and both goalkeepers are a little spooked and fearful that if they make a mistake, they’ll lose the game.
However, Partey’s groin injury could keep him out for up to six weeks; Arsenal switched back to their usual defense from the season before and inserted Gabriel Magalhaes into the starting lineup.
Many pundits disagreed with Arteta’s choice to attempt something different in defense and criticized the Gunners manager for the shift.
A Benching of Aaron Ramsdale Would Seem Cruel
According to the article, there is a ‘growing feeling’ inside Arsenal that Arteta may go to Raya soon. This is because Raya, who joined Arsenal from Brentford last month, is said to have ‘truly impressed’ during training sessions.
This prospective departure from Arteta is reported to have been brought on by Raya’s propensity to pass out while sitting on the bench.
Raya has signed a £3 million loan with Arsenal, but there is a potential £27 million permanent transfer clause.
Ramsdale didn’t have a great season last year, but thus far, he hasn’t been a big issue. The possibility of Ramsdale being benched in favor of Raya, a tremendously impressive stopper, was always going to arise with the signing of Raya, though.
