Mikel Arteta: I’ve told Aaron Ramsdale to leave he has no future here, David Raya is Arsenal No.1

Mikel Arteta: I’ve told Aaron Ramsdale to leave he has no future here, David Raya is Arsenal No.1

The new Gunners goalkeeper has given fans an insight into his relationship with former Arsenal No.1 Aaron Ramsdale after taking his place in the starting line-up.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has opened up on his relationship with Aaron Ramsdale as the two continue to battle for the No. 1 shirt. Ramsdale has been the first-choice Gunners shot-stopper for the majority of his two-year stay at the club, having displaced Bernd Leno soon after joining.

However, it is now him that is the one having to watch on from the substitutes bench as Brentford loanee Raya lines up between the sticks for Mikel Arteta’s men.
While Raya is currently on loan at the Emirates, it is widely expected that the deal will become a permanent one in the summer and the Spain international has admitted he is desperate to remain an Arsenal player. That could spell bad news for Ramsdale, given he currently can’t get a look in.

Many questioned Arteta’s decision to bring Raya to the club given Ramsdale had done very little wrong, but it is becoming more and more apparent that the Arsenal boss views the Spain international as an upgrade.

With Ramsdale having played just two games for the club since August, he would be forgiven for showing signs of frustration.
Raya has shed light on what it has been like training alongside his rival for minutes, telling The Athletic: “The relationship? It’s very good. At the end of the day, we are mates, which is the important thing. We have a very healthy relationship. There are no problems.
“We push each other every day in training: when he’s a little bit down, I push him, and when I’m a little bit down (he does the same).

We train three goalkeepers, four at the most, for hours a week, and you need that kind of relationship because otherwise, the training is not going to go well.”

Raya’s start to life in north London hasn’t been entirely smooth-sailing, with his performance during the recent 1-0 win over Manchester City sparking debate over whether he has done enough to justify benching Ramsdale.

The Emirates let out a collective gasp when Julian Alvarez blocked one of Raya’s attempted passes, but the ‘keeper remains fully committed to building from the back regardless of the risks.
Arteta places a huge emphasis on the technical quality of his goalkeepers and Raya has made clear that it is not something that is going to change anytime soon. He did, however, make clear that he is aware that were a mistake to be made, it would be him that has to shoulder the blame.

“The fans aren’t used to us goalkeepers having the ball for a long time and if they (the opponents) don’t press, you have to wait for the moment to pass the ball,” the Bees loanee explained. “It’s a risk that we take, but I take the responsibility that if, one day, there’s a mistake I’ll raise my hand. There’s no way around it.”

Arteta has claimed previously that he is not afraid to rotate his goalkeepers, but it is widely expected that Raya will be named in the starting line-up for Saturday night’s trip to Chelsea. Arsenal will arrive at Stamford Bridge aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the league season.