One of the major talking points following the draw between Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday centred around David Raya continuing to keep his place ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the Gunners’ goal....For More CONTINUE THE FULL READING▶▶
Raya was a surprise target in the summer. And he did not have to wait long to get his chance, with Mikel Arteta making a change between the sticks after the first international break.
It did not appear that Aaron Ramsdale had done much wrong at all before losing his place. And on current evidence, David Raya is not doing a particularly good job of justifying Mikel Arteta‘s decision.
Raya has not looked convincing so far this season. He had already made errors against the likes of Manchester City and Lens. And the worst mistake of the lot came against Chelsea on Saturday as he was lobbed from what appeared to be a fairly harmless Mykhaylo Mudryk cross.
He was also fortunate to not cost Arsenal again shortly after as he gifted possession to Cole Palmer on the edge of his own box.
Aaron Ramsdale may learn more about Arsenal future this week
His performance did nothing to silence the debate over whether Ramsdale or Raya should be number one. But so far, Arteta has avoided making another change and stuck by his countryman.
And it has led to speculation that Ramsdale could leave. The Daily Mail previously reported that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are monitoring Ramsdale. Arsenal meanwhile, could consider bids worth around £60 million.
And perhaps the next week could tell us whether Ramsdale does have a future at Arsenal.
If Mikel Arteta is ever going to drop David Raya, it may be now
The Gunners face Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday. Meanwhile, they host the 25-year-old’s former club Sheffield United at the weekend.
Perhaps Arteta will opt to stick by Raya to try and not destroy his confidence. But if he is ever going to make a change, it should surely come this week.
Ramsdale is yet to feature in the Champions League. But at the very least, he should surely come in for that game to stake a claim for a run in the side.
If Ramsdale plays no part in either of the next two games, you have to wonder if Arteta is ever going to lose faith in Raya. Certainly, Ramsdale is not going to wait around forever.
There is still some time until the January window arrives. So much can change. But after Raya’s error against Chelsea, it does seem that the next couple of team selections could tell us a lot about whether Ramsdale does still have a future at Arsenal…...CONTINUE.FULL.READING>>>
