Arsenal star 'too good' to be a back-up amid exit links
Robin Bairner
- 22 Nov 2023 01:03 CST
- 3 min read
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been told to consider a transfer by club legend David Seaman, who says that the shot-stopper is too good to spend his time sitting on the bench.
Ramsdale has been relegated to second choice in his role at the Emirates Stadium since September following the summer arrival of David Raya on loan from Brentford in a move that has caused no little controversy.
The former Bournemouth keeper had been seen as a safe pair of hands for Mikel Arteta’s side, and with Raya having failed to shine since coming into the team, doubt has been cast over the wisdom of Arteta’s decision.
Seaman, who kept goal for Arsenal on more than 550 occasions and was a winner of two Premier League titles with the club, has told the 25-year-old to move on if Arteta continues to drop him.
Ramsdale should get a shot at the weekend against Brentford as Raya cannot play against his parent club, but Seaman says that if he finds himself on the bench after that, his future is decided.
"If Aaron goes in at the weekend, then he's left out for the next game, then we know who Mikel's number one is," Seaman told the BBC.
"It's not good for Aaron. He's a top-class goalkeeper, there's no doubt about that."
He also argued that if Ramsdale wants to secure his place with England at Euro 2024, he needs more regular game time.
"If he's not playing for Arsenal, it's going to affect his England chances," Seaman, who still acts as an informal coach for the Gunners, explained.
"Going into next summer, where Aaron is really pushing to become England goalkeeper - he needs to be playing."
Ramsdale told to stay in January
But surprisingly, Seaman believes that January could be too soon for Ramsdale to make his mind up.
"I think January will be a bit too soon for a move away," he said.
"It's the game after this weekend, that's where we will find a lot of answers. From what Mikel was saying when he brought Raya in, when he talked about rotating goalkeepers in games, which I still found a bit bizarre, we'll have to wait and see after this game.
"Ramsdale’s too good to be a number two, that is for sure."
