Aaron Ramsdale faces a transfer poser, with the Arsenal goalkeeper needing to pick between a Premier League transfer or following Harry Kane abroad.
- Lost his place at Emirates Stadium
- Tied to long-term contract
- Seeing summer switch speculated on
WHAT HAPPENED?
At 26 years of age, the England international is still relatively young for an elite shot-stopper – meaning that time is on his side when it comes to putting down roots and becoming an established No.1. He had been hoping to achieve that at Emirates Stadium, but lost his place to David Raya in 2023-24 and took in just 11 appearances across all competitions as a result.
WHAT SEAMAN SAID
Ramsdale – who is on Euro 2024 duty with England at present – must now decide what his short and long-term future holds, with David Seaman on hand to offer words of wisdom. The legendary Gunners keeper has linked up with Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel for a three-part mini-series from Frank’s RedHot Sauce that discusses all things Euros, hottest heads in the dressing room and the true heritage of bacon and eggs!
As part of that collaboration, Seaman has told GOAL when asked what advice he would have for Ramsdale this summer: “He needs to play. If he’s not playing, he’s going to start falling down the pecking order for England. At the moment, that doesn’t look like it’s going to be at Arsenal. Do I want him to leave the club? No, for selfish reasons because having two good goalkeepers is always good for the club. But he has got to go and play somewhere. I can’t imagine it will be on loan, it will be a permanent deal. My advice is he’s got to play. He’s too good to be a No.2.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
There do not appear to be too many options in the Premier League – at the level Ramsdale will be looking for – so he may be tempted to cast the transfer net a little wider and consider following England team-mates Kane and Jude Bellingham – who are now at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively – abroad.
Seaman added when asked if a completely fresh start may appeal to Ramsdale: “He might go abroad. Aaron is only 26, so he has got a lot of options and a lot of time – whether it is in the Premier League or abroad. Ideally I would like to see him in the Premier League still, but he’s got to play. When you don’t play, your career almost goes on pause. It’s tough. There are certain goalkeepers that are good No.2s, you look at [Stefan] Ortega at Man City, he doesn’t kick up a fuss and as soon as Ederson is fit he’s back in. He comes in and plays the cup games and has shown us what a good goalkeeper he is. With Aaron, he’s too good to be a No.2 and needs to be a No.1 somewhere.”
WHAT NEXT?
Ramsdale’s contract at Arsenal runs until 2026, with the option for a further year beyond that, meaning that the north London outfit will be able to demand a sizeable fee from any deal. It appears unlikely that the former Sheffield United and Bournemouth star will get a chance to put himself in the shop window at Euro 2024, with Jordan Pickford very much England’s first-choice between the sticks.
