England international Aaron Ramsdale has been told that he “has to” leave Arsenal in January following Mikel Arteta’s decision to sign David Raya.
The Gunners caused a stir during the summer transfer window when they brought in Raya from Premier League rivals Brentford.
The Spain international was linked with Bayern Munich and Chelsea earlier in the summer but he ended up joining Arsenal on loan. They are paying a £3m loan fee for the goalkeeper and this deal includes a £27m buy obligation clause which is set to be activated in 2024.
Ramsdale has barely put a foot wrong over the past couple of seasons but Raya is arguably an upgrade on his new Arsenal teammate.
The Englishman started Arsenal’s first four Premier League games of the 2023/24 campaign but he was replaced by Raya over the weekend when they faced Everton.
Raya kept a clean sheet in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Everton and he started again when the London outfit beat PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group game on Wednesday night.
Former Aston Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor has now urged Ramsdale – who has been linked with a shock £60m move to Chelsea – to leave Arsenal in the coming months.
“Ramsdale will be in the horrors now. The Euros are coming he’s thinking to himself I’ve just played for England I’ve got a chance now,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. “Now he probably won’t even get on the plane.
“Dean Henderson left Manchester United and has gone to Crystal Palace and he’s got a task to get Sam Johnstone out of the side.
“He has to go and play somewhere, it’s as simple as that. We said it about Phillips and Maguire and these players but I mean Ramsdale, you’d be devastated.
“He got his team into the Champions League he played a big part of it but football is heartless.”
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal are right to replace Ramsdale as they will “never win the league” with him in goal.
“I understand having two goalkeepers of a similar ability, I understand mentally it might be a problem for the goalkeeper,” Carragher said on CBS Sports.
“But surely if Mikel Arteta thinks he can get a better goalkeeper in the building, he has to make that signing to make Arsenal a better team.”
Asked by Peter Schmeichel if he thinks Raya is a better goalkeeper than Ramsdale, Carragher answered: “100 per cent. Arsenal will never win the league with Ramsdale in goal, no chance.
“Ramsdale is playing for Arsenal and he can’t even get in the England team.”
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