Arsenal and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has explained how, through his own experiences of suffering Premier League relegation, he was able to help team-mate Bukayo Saka through a tough time where he was heavily criticised. Saka missed the deciding penalty in England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy and received a horrendous barrage of abuse on social media.
Following England's European championship campaign, Ramsdale signed for Arsenal from Sheffield United, who had been relegated to the Championship the previous season, for a fee of £24million.
The immediate reaction to the price of the deal was shock, especially considering it was Ramsdale's second successive relegation after suffering the same fate with Bournemouth the previous year. The £50million move for Brighton defender Ben White earlier in the window also prompted shock from the footballing world.
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However, it seems Mikel Arteta and Edu have been vindicated in their decision to bring the duo to north London last summer, as they have both been tremendously impressive this season, helping the Gunners achieve seven Premier League clean sheets as they have shot straight to the top of the table.
At the other end of the pitch, Bukayo Saka has been one of the shining lights, scoring five goals and setting up six from 20 appearances in all competitions this season and his Arsenal and England team-mate has nothing but kind words for him, particularly detailing how he has been able to use his own experiences at a young age to help the 21-year-old.
Speaking at an England press conference on Friday ahead of their opening Group B game with Iran on Monday, Ramsdale said “The kid’s (Saka) a lovely boy, he has time for everyone, he works super hard throughout every week.
"He used all that motivation of criticism but more so the love that everyone gave him. I can’t wait to see him take this stage and thrive over here.
"It was probably the first time he received criticism. I got relegated and signing for Arsenal was a difficult period. I was able to talk him through that.
“When we missed out on top four and he felt it was all his fault because he wasn’t able to provide for us, I was able to talk to say they had been eighth the season before. Off the pitch, he’s a completely different person.”
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