Transfer Centre

Arsenal 'will not let Aaron Ramsdale leave in January'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 28 October 2023

Arsenal have no intention of letting second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale leave the club in the January transfer window, according to a report.

Arsenal have no intention of letting Aaron Ramsdale leave the club in the January transfer window, according to a report.

Despite playing a key role in the Gunners' rise to a title-challenging team, Ramsdale has been brutally bumped down to second choice by Brentford loanee David Raya in recent weeks.

The England international began the campaign as Mikel Arteta's number one, saving a penalty from Rodri in the Community Shield as Arsenal stunned treble winners Manchester City at Wembley.

However, Ramsdale has since found himself on the bench for seven of Arsenal's last nine matches in all tournaments, only playing in an EFL Cup third-round tie with Brentford last month.

During that third-round encounter, the 25-year-old made a number of pivotal interventions as the Gunners won 1-0, but he has not made a Premier League appearance since a 3-1 triumph over Manchester United on September 3.

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu react on September 27, 2023 © Reuters

Ramsdale has been an unused substitute in each of Arsenal's first three Champions League matches, failing to oust Raya for Tuesday's success over Sevilla after missing the draw with Chelsea for the birth of his child.

Despite being brought into the fray for his perceived superior footwork, Raya has cut a nervous figure over the past few weeks, making notable errors against Lens, Manchester City and Chelsea, leading to calls for Ramsdale to be reinstated.

Those pleas have fallen on deaf ears, though, as Arteta continues to keep faith with Raya, who starts a sixth successive Premier League game against Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Ramsdale - who did not play in either of England's October meetings with Australia or Italy - has been linked with a surprise exit from North London should he fail to win his place back in the side.

Both Chelsea and Bayern Munich have been touted as possible winter destinations for Ramsdale, but Football Insider claims that Arsenal will not consider letting the 25-year-old leave on loan midway through the campaign.

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale pictured on August 6, 2023 © Reuters

The report adds that Arsenal have been made aware of the recent scrutiny over Arteta's goalkeeping stance, and Raya's shaky displays in between the sticks have only added fuel to the fire.

In spite of the fact that Ramsdale is pining for regular first-team football, Arsenal should not entertain offers for their number two in January, even if he comes to the conclusion that an exit would be the best move for his career.

Ramsdale only extended his Arsenal contract until the end of the 2025-26 season back in May, having justified his £24.4m arrival in the summer of 2021 in the face of scathing criticism.

Ramsdale's signing was met with scepticism given his previous relegations with Bournemouth and Sheffield United, but he boasts a respectable 31 clean sheets in 84 matches for Arsenal.

With 14 clean sheets in the 2022-23 top-flight campaign, Ramsdale was named in the PFA Team of the Year, in addition to collecting two Premier League Save of the Month awards in March and April.