Aaron Ramsdale has “lost his smile”, according to his father — and it is unlikely a rare start at Brentford on Saturday will cheer him up for long.
David Raya has established himself as Arsenal No1, and Ramsdale appears to be fighting a losing battle in his bid to convince Mikel Arteta he should be first-choice.
Loan signing Raya is ineligible to face his parent club, so Ramsdale will come back in at Gtech Community Stadium. But Ramsdale is likely to be back on the bench for next week’s Champions League game against Lens and, realistically, might not play again until the FA Cup in January.
The situation has thrown his future into doubt. Gareth Southgate has warned Ramsdale could lose his place in the England squad ahead of the Euros, and he could seek a January move to get regular action.
Arsenal legend David Seaman, who has an informal coaching role at the club, said this week Ramsdale is “too good to be a No2”. Seaman added a January move would be “too soon”, but it feels inevitable that Ramsdale will eventually leave, with Raya expected to make his loan move permanent for £27million next summer.
Much has been made about Arteta’s ruthless decision to axe Ramsdale, after he played a key role in last season’s title bid, was in the PFA Team of the Year, had seemingly done little wrong and signed a long-term contract in May.
But Raya is a player Arteta first tried to sign three years ago, and he believes it was necessary to close the gap and overtake Manchester City this season. Arsenal conceded 10 goals more than City last season, and Arteta saw defence as a key area to improve.
The decision came from a conscious shift in how Arteta wants his goalkeeper to play. Ramsdale is an excellent passer of the ball, but Raya is on another level. He made 1,475 passes in the Premier League last season, over 200 more than any other goalkeeper and 541 more than Ramsdale.
The introduction of Raya has seen Arsenal play through their goalkeeper more regularly.
With Ramsdale last season, 35.4 per cent of his passes were 40 yards or longer. Under Raya, that number has fallen to 28.9 per cent. The average length of pass has dropped, too, from 33.3 yards to 30.2.
When Arsenal do go long, though, it is proving more successful than before. The Spaniard is second in the League this season for long-pass completion (over 40 yards). Last season, Ramsdale ranked 22nd.
"Ramsdale appears to be fighting a losing battle in his bid to convince Mikel Arteta he should be first-choice"
Raya’s love of being on the ball has led to some heart-in-mouth moments, but Arteta has urged him to keep playing that way, even after a shaky start.
Raya has worked on his kicking throughout his career, especially when he joined Blackburn as a 16-year-old. Steven Drench, his academy goalkeeping coach at Rovers, made Raya play footgolf to hone his technique, and he would join in sessions with outfield players.
“David was probably one of the best players with the ball at his feet,” Drench says.
As well as his distribution, Raya’s ability in dealing with crosses makes him stand out. No goalkeeper in the League this season has a higher percentage of crosses stopped.
Drench puts that down to Raya’s athleticism and “aggressive positioning”. It can lead to him being caught out, as was the case with Mykhailo Mudryk’s goal for Chelsea last month, but in the long run Arteta believes the statistics back up his decision.
“His start position is that high, it gives the defence a little bit more room, where they are heading the ball 15, 16 yards out, rather than six or seven, because David is cutting that space,” Drench explains.
“He is 6ft, but his spring is seven or eight feet in the air. The way he moves around the goal is really quick. He has got a really strong futsal background, so he is good with his feet but can change direction quickly, too.”
Even with the faith he has shown in Raya, Arteta would be reluctant to lose Ramsdale in January. Injuries cost Arsenal dearly last season, and Ramsdale could still have a key role to play.
For now, the good news for Arsenal is that Raya and Ramsdale have been able to coexist in the squad. Raya has described the relationship between the pair as “very healthy”, and Ramsdale echoed that view last month.
Replacing Ramsdale, a popular figure in the Arsenal dressing room, has not been easy for Raya to handle, but his English humour and mannerisms have helped him settle and he is said to have an excellent work ethic.
Ramsdale’s father, Nick, revealed last week that Arteta has never explained his decision, but the manager remains convinced he has made the right call.
