LEICESTER, England (Reuters) – Eyebrows had been raised when Arsenal spent large on a goalkeeper from a facet who sank with out hint within the Premier League final season, however only a few months into his Gunners profession, followers are beginning to see what the membership noticed in Aaron Ramsdale.
Having completed eighth within the Premier League final time period, coach Mikel Arteta was tasked with rebuilding his squad within the switch market forward of the brand new marketing campaign, to a combined response.
Ramsdale’s arrival from Sheffield United, who completed backside as they had been relegated from the Premier League having shipped 63 objectives, didn’t precisely whet many appetites in north London.
The 23-year-old is already, nevertheless, proving the doubters mistaken. His efficiency in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Leicester Metropolis on Saturday, as they made it 9 unbeaten in all competitions, was a formidable as followers may even see from any goalkeeper all season.
“Greatest save I’ve seen for years from Ramsdale,” was the response from former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, whose son was in objective for Leicester, on Twitter after witnessing Ramsdale’s unbelievable cease to disclaim James Maddison on the King Energy Stadium.
With Arsenal underneath stress, Maddison’s curling effort appeared destined for the highest nook simply earlier than the break, the place a objective may have swung the momentum of the match in Leicester’s favour – one thing that was not misplaced on Arteta.
“My response once I noticed the ball leaving Maddison’s foot, I stated ‘objective’,” Arteta stated.
“I don’t know the way it occurred. It was unbelievable. And the timing of it as nicely was essential.”
Of the goalkeepers to have confronted greater than two photographs on track this season, solely Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy (89.7%) is having fun with a better save proportion than Ramsdale (85.7%), who has saved 24 of the 28 photographs on track he has confronted.
The cameras within the stadium panned to Bernd Leno on the Arsenal bench after the save from Maddison, with the German having the look of a person who is aware of he faces a troublesome problem to win his first-team keeper spot again.
It isn’t solely his shot-stopping that Ramsdale is excelling at. Trendy goalkeepers additionally should be consultants with the ball at their toes.
He’s so well-trusted together with his passing that an outfield participant routinely takes a fast objective kick for Arsenal to Ramsdale in order that he can then take the ball ahead out of the world and pick who he needs to move to.
Arteta is absolutely conscious that he has an actual asset on his arms.
“We make investments cash in abilities that we consider could be nice for the way forward for the membership,” Arteta added. “And we made that call (to signal Ramsdale) primarily based on that.
“Aaron has had some actually encouraging performances. At present he made some unbelievable saves. You possibly can have some nice video games, however doing it for 20 years, that is the problem.
“He can dream large, and that’s very optimistic.”
(Reporting by Peter Corridor; Modifying by Hugh Lawson)
