The Dutch powerhouse Ajax Amsterdam reportedly made an attempt to sign goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with Arsenal this summer, but Arsenal turned them down.
According to reports, Arsenal rejected Ajax Amsterdam’s summer transfer offer for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Ramsdale lost his position as the starting goalkeeper to David Raya in the previous season, so his future at the North London club is in doubt.
After Raya joined from Brentford, Ramsdale, 26, was sidelined for a large portion of the 2023–24 Premier League season, appearing in just six games. Ramsdale was benched for both of Arsenal’s recent friendlies at the Emirates Stadium, which further cast doubt on his future with the team and highlighted the situation even more last week.
The Athletic claims that Arsenal turned down Ajax’s initial loan request because it did not fit with the team’s goals. According to the report, Arsenal would prefer to let go of the England international permanently this summer and has already identified Joan Garcia of Espanyol as a possible successor. Ajax is still interested in hiring Ramsdale even after the rejection.
Ramsdale is still a top-tier goalkeeper, and many European clubs will probably find use for him despite his declining role at Arsenal. The subtle differences between Raya’s 2023–24 campaign and Ramsdale’s 2022–23 season are evident when comparing the two seasons.
In contrast to Raya, who faced 2.1 shots per ninety minutes, Ramsdale faced 3.6 shots, but only gave up one more non-penalty goal than anticipated, while Raya gave up three more than his expected goals on target (xGOT). Ramsdale averaged 1.1 defensive actions per ninety minutes outside of the penalty area, which was marginally less than Raya’s 1.5, but they also traveled a longer average distance (25.1 meters versus Raya’s 24.2).
Another area where Raya has been viewed as an improvement is passing accuracy. In the previous season, Ramsdale completed 63% of his 24.6 pass attempts, while Raya completed 71% of his 28.3 attempts per ninety minutes. Ramsdale did, however, attempt a higher percentage of passes into the attacking third and forward, which is indicative of the systemic demands made of him at Arsenal.
According to Ramsdale’s pass map, Raya benefited from players positioned closer to him, which allowed for more accurate distribution into the final third, while Ramsdale frequently had to travel longer distances to connect with his teammates, especially the full-backs.
Top clubs are still drawn to Ramsdale’s skill set even though he no longer starts for Arsenal. He’s a great asset because he can play in a possession-based system, use his feet to help build play, and fill the role of sweeper-keeper. Ramsdale, who is 26 years old, still has a few years to reach his prime, and he would be a great addition to many elite European teams.
It’s unclear if Ramsdale will leave Arsenal to compete for a spot there or find a new team as the summer transfer window draws to a close. For the time being, it appears that Arsenal is getting ready for possible changes in their goalkeeping staff given their decision to wait for a permanent transfer.
