Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had already set a precedent for Aaron Ramsdale’s brutal demotion by dropping Bernd Leno in 2021. Ramsdale was signed to provide competition to the German ahead of the 2021-22 season but soon found himself promoted into the No 1 shot-stopper role, while Leno became an outcast at the Emirates Stadium.
Ramsdale now finds himself in the same situation Leno did two years ago. The England star appeared to be Arteta’s first-choice goalkeeper but has now been replaced by summer signing David Raya.
Arteta has suggested that both players could be rotated depending on the opponent, and even hinted at the idea of mid-game changes. However, Ramsdale has not played in the Premier League or Champions League since starting Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on September 3.
The situation is reminiscent of the way Arteta pushed Leno towards the exit door two years ago following his ruthless decision. The now-Fulham star was cast aside for Ramsdale, despite not making obvious errors that might have led to him being dropped.
In a worryingly familiar trend, Leno played the first three Premier League matches in 2021-22. After being dropped for Ramsdale, he played just once more in the top-flight that campaign.
Leno, 31, joined Fulham in the summer of 2022, knowing that he had lost his battle for the No 1 shirt at Arsenal. His situation might be why Ramsdale’s father, Nick, chose to take aim at Arteta over the handling of his son’s dilemma.
Ramsdale Snr has seen how Leno was ruthlessly cast aside and might be concerned that history is repeating itself. He told the Highbury Squad podcast: “We did not have a clue [that Ramsdale was going to be dropped]. I didn’t have a clue, our family didn’t have a clue, Aaron didn’t have a clue that he was not going to carry on playing. All of a sudden, he’s not been played.
“You just have to look at it personally and I’m probably saying too much but: Aaron is going to be the cup goalkeeper, and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending-off. And Aaron’s got to live with that and he is living with that even though he’s not been told it. By anybody.”
