Aaron Ramsdale will wear the No1 shirt for Arsenal after the goalkeeper was given a new squad number ahead of the Premier League season getting underway.
Bernd Leno previously had the number, despite being back-up to Ramsdale, but with the German’s move to Fulham now confirmed, that has been freed up.
The Gunners have wasted little time in announcing the change, with Ramsale moving from his previous number 32.
The 24-year-old will be the seventh Arsenal goalkeeper to wear the No1 shirt in the Premier League era, following the likes of David Seaman, Jens Lehmann and Petr Cech.
👀 New season. New number.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 3, 2022
Congratulations, @AaronRamsdale98 👏
It’s a reward for a superb first season at the club, in which Ramsdale made 37 appearances in all competitions after quickly replacing Leno as Mikel Arteta’s preferred goalkeeper.
While he made a brilliant start to life at Arsenal on the pitch, Ramsdale has admitted social media abuse when he first joined the club from Sheffield United did have an impact on him.
“At the very start it was difficult. I had a lot of negativity around the signing, with idiots online saying don’t sign,” Ramsdale said.
“Not necessarily death threats but threats saying: ‘We know where you live’ and things like that. Trying to scare me.
“Quite quickly I turned all that stuff off. Social media for me is a place to communicate with my friends and with the fans as well, but with limits on who can actually reach me.”
