Aaron Ramsdale was once again an unused substitute for an Arsenal game as Mikel Arteta stuck with David Raya for the the 2-1 win over Sevilla on Tuesday night.
So, Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea was not a turning point for Aaron Ramsdale as Mikel Arteta resisted calls to reinstate take David Raya out of the firing line for the Champions League clash with Sevilla.
The Spaniard, who was the Gunners’ fourth and final signing of the summer transfer window having joined on a season-long loan from Brentford, has effectively become the first-choice goalkeeper since making his debut against Everton after the September international break.
Despite keeping clean sheets against the Toffees, PSV Eindhoven, Bournemouth and Manchester City, there have been a few shaky moments on his behalf. Some have been costly, the RC Lens equaliser is one example that immediately springs to mind, while he was rather fortunate on a couple of occasions in the 1-0 win over the Premier League champions.
This, coupled with events at Stamford Bridge last weekend, has led to a clamor for Ramsdale to reclaim his place. After all, Arteta has said the battle for the right to be Arsenal’s number one is a meritocracy and therefore it’s understandable as to why such a debate is still ongoing.
Against Chelsea, the travelling support inside the ground made their thoughts on the matter clear by chanting Ramsdale’s name immediately after Raya, under no pressure, played the ball straight out to Cole Palmer but managed to recover in time to avoid his error being punished.
The response was something that Arteta was asked about in the post-match press conference, but rather than being drawn on any comparisons to Raya, he instead chose to focus on the fact that Ramsdale had just become a father – hence his absence from the matchday squad.
“Great. I love him and I will sing as well for him every single day,” the Gunners boss told reporters. “We sang a lot for him yesterday because he became a father – the most beautiful thing. He’s someone that has this charisma and personality and he’s very loved around the team.”
Admittedly, even with Ramsdale making the trip to Seville, a recall was always unlikely. Firstly because the stakes were relatively high in terms of Arsenal keeping their fate in their own hands with regard to qualifying for the knockout stages and it was the type of game that suited Raya as he is aggressive at coming for crosses.
Ultimately it wasn’t a surprise to see the Spaniard in the starting line-up against Sevilla, although his performance will split fans’ opinions as football.londonawarded him a 6/10 rating with our Chief Arsenal Writer Kaya Kaynak explaining ‘We saw the good and the bad of David Raya tonight’.
Having said that, he didn’t do anything to warrant being dropped for Saturday’s Premier League clash at home to Sheffield United, which means, fitness permitting, it will be another game watching from the sidelines for Ramsdale and that might sting a bit given it’s his former club.
However, he will get his chances soon. The Carabao Cup tie against West Ham United is next week. Furthermore, as per Premier League loan rules that prevent a player from featuring against his parent club, he is assured, provided he’s available for selection, to be in goal against Brentford on November 25 as Raya will be ineligible – which wasn’t the case when the two sides met in the cup last month.
This potentially creates a fascinating scenario especially if Ramsdale has only made one appearance heading into the London derby as he is all but guaranteed to get the opportunity to show Arteta that he should return to the starting line-up for the Premier League and Champions League fixtures that follow.
