Could this Brentford game be Aaron Ramsdale’s last Premier league match for Arsenal?

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Can Ramsdale even win his place back in the team? by Dan Smith

I want to write that this Saturday is one of the biggest games of Aaron Ramsdale’s career.

I want to believe it’s an opportunity to win back his place in our team.

Does a chance even exist? If you listen to Ramsdale senior he’s not confident anything will change.

Ramsdale will start at Brentford due to Raya not being allowed to face his parent club.

All Ramsdale can do is play to the best to the best of his ability and make it impossible for his boss to drop him.

Yet when (ironically at the same stadium) the 25-year-old kept a clean sheet in the third round of the Carabao Cup and produced a world class save, it didn’t change his situation.

We don’t even know if playing well is even the criteria our manager is basing his decision on.

As strange as it sounds, what Ramsdale does or doesn’t do this weekend might not even come into Arteta’s thinking.

Because for Raya to be benched, Arteta will have to put his ego to one side and admit he’s got something wrong.

The best coaches stick to their convictions, but they also are smart enough to recognise when something is wrong.

Gooners can over complicate things with stats.

The main job of a keeper is to keep the ball out of a net.

Our current number 1 was directly responsible for goals in the NLD, Lens, Stamford Bridge and Saint James Park.

That’s not mentioning the errors that on another day could have meant goals for Palmer and Alvarez.

That’s a lot of mistakes in a short amount of time. Certainly, enough to give Ramsdale a chance.

Ramsdale played his part in Arsenal returning to the Champions League, but has been judged on mistakes he made in the title run in.

Shouldn’t the same principles though be applied to Raya?

David Seaman said this week,

‘ If Aaron goes in at the weekend, then he’s left out for the next game, then we know who’s No 1’.

The one crumb of hope Ramsdale has is that he was allowed to start the season in goal, with Arteta waiting for the international break to make the switch.

Is there a chance he’s aware of Raya’s struggle but wanted to wait for this break to revert back? History tells us that’s unlikely.

Arteta hasn’t even told the player what he could be working on, areas to improve. Even his biggest defenders have failed to give a reason why that could be.

When your third in the League with just one defeat it might seem immaterial how Ramsdale is treated.

Long term though, Arteta’s inability to admit he’s wrong could cost us everything.

Is this Ramsdale’s final game as a Gunner in the Prem?

Dan


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Tags Aaron Ramsdale Brentford

27 Comments

  1. This is even more interesting considering arsenal have already triggered is buy option and Raya potentially have signed long time contact as arsenal player for 2024.

  2. Regardless of how Ramsdale perform, doubt it can change Arteta’s mind on his preference for Raya. Ramsdale should request for a transfer soon. He deserves to be playing regularly

  3. Dan, while you take the time to point out Ray’s mistakes, you forgot to mention that we have , along with Liverpool, conceded the least number of goals (10) so far this season in the PL.
    I could detail out mistakes made by Ramsdale last season, but what’s the point?

    MA has to play Aaron this weekend and, if he plays a blinder, I have every faith that he will do what is best for the club.
    It’s really difficult for Aaron, as I see him as a real Gooner who has been accepted 100% by the fans – meanwhile Raya has had to face an onslaught of negativity from the very beginning, despite our results and goals against.

    As for the question you pose, I think Aaron will be with us, at least to the end of the season, simply because of the number of games we have.

    1. Exactly mate so Arteta should hold Raya to the same standard
      If Ramsdale made too many mistakes last season surely so has Raya

      1. In your eyes he has – it seems that MA disagrees with you – if Aaron keeps his place after this weekend, would you say that Raya has played HIS last game for the club?

          1. But has he admitted that he loses concentration during matches as Ramsdale has done?
            Perhaps MA has listened to what Aaron said and acted accordingly Dan?

              1. That’s what MA believes he has done – and sitting joint second with Liverpool and sharing the best GA as them over the likes of city (regarding the latter point) it seems that actions speak louder than words or speculation…. at least at the moment.

  4. Chelsea are likely watching the drama as it unfold . I am very sure Stamford Bridge will be interested .
    Ramsdale will make them stronger and against us , he will be fired up !

  5. It appears to me that in SOME cases, there is a personal attachment to Ramsdale. I fully understand that sentiment because I feel has been committed to us and suddenly it’s all gone pear shaped and there is an outcry. Ken1945 put forward a very sensible view imo as Ramsdale wasn’t flawless. It’s a bit like my belief in Arteta when at times it was difficult to justify.

    I sincerely hope Ramsdale plays a blinder but I’m also mindful of what Reggie posted in a different article- that it seems that Arteta has made up his mind in favour of Raya. Hart was on a crest of a wave until Pep ‘s intervention. Life is bloody cruel sometimes

  6. It’s time we stopped this nonsense. We have 2 very good goal keepers and we should appreciate it.
    Personally I expected Raya to deputise Rams which filled me with confidence coz he was a quality back up compared to Turner.
    For reasons Arteta has preferred Raya over Rams,he is the manager and the best we should do is to encourage Rams to claim his position by exemplary performance and not by sulking.
    Rams is still young and he is guaranteed a chance and a future at arsenal.
    I just hope he keeps his cool and does not join the jump the ship bandwagon coz he may regret it so soon. Grass is not always greener next door.

  7. Arteta wants Raya as his number one, so it’s a fait accompli.

    Ramsdale needs to look after himself, if he wants to play for England, he needs to move on; ASAP.

    So why does everyone seem to view him as wanting to jump ship?

  8. Raya is MA number one no doubt about it and I’ll tell you why.i don’t know if you remember few months ago,Ramsdale posted an article in the matchday program.in it,he talked about few things like his brother being gay ….he also wrote that MA had been pushing him to play higher up the pitch.he wrote that he told MA about feeling vulnerable playing too high up and that at the end they came to a compromise.i don’t know what made Aaron feel that way but I somehow doubt that MA is the type of manager who would”compromise”on the way he wants his team to play,maybe temporarily until he gets the players he needs.that’s why he went for Raya and the stats backs it up.lastly,Raya’s agent admitted in an interview that even before signing Ramsdale,MA tried to sign him and always was his first preference.

    1. Siamos, come down from the heavenly spheres to a place called Earth. There is a world beyond football, believe it or not.

      1. @Joe S. I don’t get your comment.these were Aaron’s words.MA has been asking him to play higher up but he admitted himself that he is not that comfortable.also,do you remember MA praising/defending Raya,saying” I am the one asking him to play short despite the fans nervousness being palpable or that “others GK wouldn’t have kept playing from the back after a mistake but not Raya” it tells me everything i need to know.

  9. Raya will leave if arteta doesn’t play him #1.Ramsdale could be talked into staying.it’s the only way to possibly keep them both.they are close enough in skills.so he thinking of now and the future

    1. I seriously doubt Ramsdale could be talked into staying beyond this season, if he doesn’t get regular football.

      The best way to keep both keepers happy was by using Raya, the new joiner, as cup and Europe keeper with the hope of displacing Ramsdale in the league. Downgrading Ramsdale and not even using him consistently for cup and Europe, is just burning the bridge

  10. We are all confused. What has Ramsdale done wrong and Raya done right??? No idea? Me too. This is all in the manager’s head. A captain’s pick. From a supporter’s point of view I can only hope he sees the wood from the trees.

  11. My thought is no matter how good Ramsdale plays his No 1 spot has gone. Raya has been a long-term project, our Ex Brentford goalkeeping coach is Spanish. From what I have heard Iñaki Caña favours working with Raya so unfortunately it would seem Ramsdale will be moving on. It’s not hard to connect the dots the truth is staring us in the face.

  12. Whatever the goal-keeping coach instructs Ramasdale to do prematch those will be things Ramsdale should aim to improve on. Same when he’s preparing Raya, Ramsdale just needs to concentrate on the type of performance that is expected, it’ll be laid out for him which areas to improve

  13. Anyone know Ramsdale contract situation.he can’t just leave cause he’s not happy.if under contract.no good #2 gonna be happy

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