Ramsdale should be a keeper for Southgate
ARTETA SAYS HIS No.2 SHOULD STILL BE IN THE ENGLAND SQUAD FOR EUROS BECAUSE OF HIS HISTORY, NO MATTER HOW HE PLAYS TODAY
MIKEL ARTETA has warned England not to judge Aaron Ramsdale solely on what could be his last audition for the Euros.
Gunners goalkeeper Ramsdale gets a rare start for Arsenal because on-loan David
Raya is not eligible to play against his parent club Brentford tonight.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate is certain to be keeping tabs because England face a huge keeper dilemma this summer with only Jordan Pickford nailed down for the squad.
Ramsdale has started just five Premier League games this season after losing his place to Raya and his last league appearance was at Brentford in November when he looked nervous and under pressure despite keeping a clean sheet.
Ramsdale, 25, is now sweating on his England place along with Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnston. With Newcastle keeper Nick Pope still out injured, Southgate has even checked on Rangers No.1 Jack Butland.
Southgate (left) names his final squad before the Euros on Thursday for the friendlies with Brazil and Belgium so Ramsdale will be under huge pressure to put on a show at the Emirates.
But Arteta is hoping that Southgate will judge Arsenal crowd favourite Ramsdale on his past couple of seasons rather than on just one game as he looks to remove some of the pressure from the shoulders of a keeper who can be an emotional character. Gunners boss Arteta said: “I don’t know how Gareth is thinking but, if I had to make the decision, I would judge Aaron not on what he does on one day but on what he has done in the last two or three seasons.
“A player has to be himself and the biggest qualities of Aaron are his character, his charisma, his enthusiasm, his energy. He is contagious. You can’t control that. That is him.”
Ramsdale last summer signed a new contract which takes him up to 2026 with the option for another year. But Arsenal are set to sign Raya permanently this summer and that means Ramsdale will go in search of regular football elsewhere. There is not a huge market for keepers this summer and, with such a long period left on his contract, it would not be unthinkable for him to go on a season-long loan.
Arteta insists any decision will be a tough call. The Spaniard said:
“It’s not going to be any different with any other position in the team and, when we make that call to allow somebody to go, or a player wants to go, that is something that we will discuss when that moment arrives.”
The Gunners go into tonight’s contest as the outsider in the threehorse title race at 10-3. Manchester City are 17-20 with Liverpool, their opponents at Anfield tomorrow, around 2-1.
Arsenal will go top of the
Premier
League with victory over the
Bees this evening.