Could we possibly swap Ramsdale for Isak?
Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he sees a future with David Raya between the Arsenal sticks over Aaron Ramsdale, and although I was hesitant at first with this choice, Raya has proven to me that he’s a great keeper and Arteta might have been right to instil his trust and belief into the 28-year-old Spanish keeper, even though the situation with Ramsdale seemed a bit sudden and harsh from some people’s, including mine, perspective.
Football is full of uncertainty and the goalkeeper position might be the hardest position to navigate for a manager, you can only really have one first option and it leaves a backup keeper feeling somewhat unwanted, and after the season Ramsdale had with us last season and all he achieved, I’m sure he has felt a bit hard done by and like he never really had a chance.
Ramsdale is a top-class keeper and when he’s playing consistently, he’s one of England’s best and for me, he can’t be wasting his time sitting on the Arsenal bench hoping for his chance, or God forbid an injury. He has continued to be a choice for Gareth Southgate for the England squad, but because he isn’t playing first team football consistently, it seems like he’s not going to be able to have a chance between the sticks for England either, that is until he makes a move.
I feel like this is going to be a tough choice for Ramsdale and considering how quickly this all come about, he’s taken it very well and has continued to support Raya and his teammates while eagerly watching from the bench. You have to give him a lot of credit for that, but as the decision looks clear that Raya, once the season ends, will sign permanently from his loan club Brentford, were very likely to see Ramsdale move on from the club.
Now, rumours have also been circulating that Arsenal could be interested in Swedish 24-year-old forward Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. Isak is a great player and has had yet another consistently good season up top for Newcastle, scoring 17 goals and an assist in all competitions and would probably have a lot more than that in a consistent team.
For me, the right footed striker would be a perfect addition to this Arsenal squad, and I think he would work really well under Mikel Arteta. He’s still very young for how good he is and has a lot of room to grow and progress his game. I think Arteta could bring the best out of him and, because he obviously has Premier League experience already, I think he would be able to slip straight into the Arsenal squad and produce.
Rumours are also going around that Newcastle could be interested in Ramsdale in the summer, so do you think we could possibly find a way to swap the two? I think we would still have to pay a bit of money for Isak on top of a trade, but it could be a great deal for both parties to consider.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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I like Isak, but his price having only moved to Newcastle in 2022, and his injury record are a bit of a scare.
This season he’s missed 10 matches due to groin injury, and last season he missed September to beginning of January due to thigh injury.
His injury record is very similar to our Gabriel Jesus and we can all wonder if it’s a bit too much for a main striker who will likely cost close to Rice-tag.
I think it all depends on the profile of a striker Arteta is looking for. Isak looks a bit different from our other striker targets. Despite being a big lad,he’s not really the type to hold the ball up,win headers and battle defenders physically.He typically uses dribbling,faints and pace to beat defenders. This is advantageous because he can seamlessly swap positions with other forwards in the course of a game-something Arteta likes. He’s also versatile and can deputize on the flanks if needed.
On the other hand,he’s doesn’t have the presence in the box to score tap-ins and headers like a Haaland. He’s an ‘out of the box’ kind of striker who can run in behind to score or curl in shots from distance.Perharps Isak could work for us because we already have Havertz who can provide some of the skills like hold-up play that targetmen have. Someone like Toney has more of a box presence. Gyokores has a nice blend of box presence and the ability to run in behind but he’s doing it in an inferior league and it’s not easy to tell if he can replicate that in the Epl,otherwise he’d be the best choice imo.
If Newcastle want Ramsdale,it could certainly help with negotiations for Isak . But I doubt there would be swap deal – direct swaps or swaps plus cash almost never happen. I can’t remember the last time I heard of one. I think they are bad for accounting for purposes of FFP and could complicate contract negotiations. Usually if two teams are interested in each other’s players,the deals are done separately,with outright sales in the opposite direction.
If you sell a player you get to book the income in that year’s accounts.
If you buy a player you spread the value over the course of the player’s contract (up to 5 years).
So a swap deal is not great from an accounting perspective. But if we sold Ramsdale for £40m that would be £40m in our accounts and if we bought Isak for £40m (please don’t) it would be just £8m, leaving £32m to spend elsewhere.
Thanks for the clarification NB. That makes sense. I guess a swap deal would also not account for stuff like add-ons ? I bet player agents don’t like them either.Swaps are just problematic all round for all parties involved.
Great Piece of article Man. .I like Ramsdale a lot, It is painful to see him sitting on our bench week in week out and It will also be painful to see him leave us. But when the chips are down, I think it is best he moves on, and if Newcastle agree on a swap deal with us with Isak, great why not..Isak is great striker, we do need a prolific goal getter. So , I am all for , and I think it will be great for both parties and for both players..
Isak is not a top striker. Lazy journalism linked us to him before his Newcastle move. And lazy journalism links us to him now.
Well that your opinion but mine is that he is better than anything we have at the moment.
Not a top striker? You clearly don’t watch enough football, 19 goals so far this season (15 goals in just 22 PL games) in a team which is pretty much mostly relying on a RB as it’s creative force is highly impressive. He’s on a goal per every 121 minutes overall (106mins in the PL – nearly a goal a game). He’s 6’2 yet very agile and fast, strong on the ball with stunning dribbling ability, and although, as the article suggests, he doesn’t offer much in aerial prowess this is from deadball situations where we already have plenty options – he does score aerially from open play, which is what we require. He’s also not into his prime yet and many Swedes believe he’ll reach near Zlatan levels as he progresses. And with MA coaching him who knows how far he could go. It’s possible, especially given Newcastle’s financial situation, that he’s the best striker we could sign this summer, and I’m all for it.
Your pointless comment is the definition of lazy, not the article.