Aaron Ramsdale has spoken out about his feelings after losing his starting spot to David Luiz.
“Ramsdale said he was ‘in pain and hurting’ after losing his place in Arsenal’s starting lineup to Raya,” ESPN reported on Sept. 19. “At the same time, he insisted that he and Raya have a good relationship.”
Ramsdale, who arrived from Sheffield United in a £24 million deal ahead of the 2021-22 season, was not expected to be Bertrand Leno’s backup, but he quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup because he had good reflexes and a good build-up, unlike Leno, who had been criticized for being weak underfoot.
After conceding 39 goals in 34 league games in his first season as Arsenal’s goalkeeper, Ramsdale followed that up with 43 in 2022-23, starting all 38 league games. Ramsdale’s performances helped Arsenal challenge Manchester City for the title and return to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time in seven seasons. It was also Ramsdale’s best season personally, as he was named to the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Team of the Year.
This season, they were expected to remain the No. 1 team. However, the arrival of Raya shook things up. Having played for Brentford since 2019 when they were in the English Championship (second tier), Raya broke into the top flight in 2020-21 when he helped the club win promotion to the PL. In his first season in the PL, he made 24 appearances and kept 27 clean sheets in his first season in the league, and his excellent build-up and save percentage took him to the next level. He started every league game in 2022-23 and was so impressive that he was called up to the Spanish national team, making him one of the top goalkeepers in the league. 메이저놀이터
After the season, Raya wanted to move on to bigger things, and several big clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, approached him. But Raya chose Arsenal. Raya joined Arsenal on loan initially and signed a contract with an option for a permanent move.