Arsenal ignore the detractors to pin
Hclub convinced goalkeeper can be long-term No 1 despite three relegations in four years and concerns over positioning
Is Aaron Ramsdale the next great English goalkeeping talent, or should he count himself lucky to have attracted the interest of a club such as Arsenal? It is a curious reality of his young career that it could be argued either way.
Ramsdale’s detractors will point to the three relegations he has experienced in the past four seasons. His defenders will note that he has won individual club awards (young player of the year on loan at Wimbledon, supporters’ player of the year at Bournemouth, player of the year at Sheffield United) in each of the past three campaigns.
If it all seems rather unclear, then at least one statement can be made with absolute conviction: Arsenal regard him as talented enough to become their long-term No1. They have agreed to pay Sheffield United an initial £24 million for the 23-yearold, a figure which could rise to £30million if various requirements are met.
Ramsdale will no doubt start his Arsenal career as back-up to Bernd Leno, but his time will come sooner rather than later. The succession plan has been drawn. Leno has two years remaining on his contract and there have been no indications that he will be receiving, or indeed wanting, a new deal any time soon.
Given Arsenal’s challenging financial circumstances, it is a reflection of their faith in Ramsdale that they have been willing to make such an investment. They are backing him to develop into one of the league’s outstanding goalkeepers, and they are backing themselves to help him get there.
Ramsdale, it should be said, has time on his hands. Of the goalkeepers to play at least 15 matches in the Premier League last season, only Leeds United’s Illan Meslier is younger, while the average age of last season’s regular goalkeepers is 29.
To those with expertise in the art of shot-stopping, Ramsdale is already at a commendable Premier League level. John Harrison, a goalkeeping analyst who helps professional clubs to scout goalkeepers, describes him as being in “the middle of the pack” in the top flight.
Some of his attributes, Harrison says, are outstanding. Ramsdale excels in close-range situations, using his agility and spreading his frame. His reactions are quick and he is capable of getting down to his corners at speed.
At the same time, there are concerns over his positioning – “he can get a little too high up on the ball,” says Harrison – and he occasionally falls victim to an “arm swing” problem that troubles other goalkeepers, such as Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga. In these incidents, goalkeepers throw their arms behind their backs in order to build momentum when they dive, costing them a crucial split-second when the shot arrives.
There will also be worries about Ramsdale’s save percentage for Bournemouth and Sheffield United in the past two seasons. He stopped just 68.5 per cent of shots in those campaigns, putting him
19th in the Premier League on this metric. Such figures are to be viewed with scepticism, though, as they do not take into account the fact that some keepers generally face more easier shots than others, depending on their side’s defending.
For Arsenal, the journey to Ramsdale started in June last year, in a match against Brighton. Leno was injured that day, and his subsequent absence allowed back-up goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez an opportunity to thrive in the remainder of the season. It was a chance Martinez seized with both hands, performing so well that his days as a second choice were over. Aston Villa made an offer of around £20million, and Arsenal chose to cash in rather than offering him a new deal and demoting Leno to the role of a highly-paid No 2.
At the time, this was a move that seemed to suit all parties. But it presented Arsenal with a problem, which they have not been able to solve until now. With Martinez gone, they needed another reliable back-up goalkeeper. They targeted Brentford’s David Raya, bidding around £10 million, and would almost certainly have gone back for the Spaniard if he had not been promoted to the Premier League. With Raya unavailable, the shortterm solution last year was Icelandic goalkeeper Alex Runarsson, who has failed to impress after his £1million move from Dijon. Brighton’s Mat Ryan came in on a loan in January to provide a more trustworthy option, but he was not considered a long-term solution.
All of which eventually led Mikel Arteta and Inaki Cana, his goalkeeping coach, to Ramsdale, who joined Sheffield United for £18million last summer after a year in the top flight with Bournemouth and loan spells at Chesterfield and Wimbledon. Ramsdale counts as a “home-grown” player, enjoyed an impressive end to the season last year, despite relegation, and was called into England’s Euros squad, following an injury to Dean Henderson.
It says plenty about Sheffield United’s regard for their goalkeeper that they initially demanded £40 million. Arsenal talked them down, eventually, but the agreed fee is still enough to raise more than a few eyebrows across the game. In time, the moment will come when Ramsdale must prove these doubters wrong.