Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his delight in announcing that the €32 million Arsenal star, Aaron Ramsdale, is ready and available to play against Sevilla in the Champions League tonight. Ramsdale’s return is highly anticipated and comes after his absence in the previous match against Chelsea, where Arsenal secured a 2-2 draw in a late comeback.
Ramsdale’s absence in the Chelsea game was due to a significant and joyous personal event – the birth of his first child. Now, he is set to rejoin the squad, boosting Arsenal’s chances of a successful outing in Seville at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Despite his absence, Arsenal has been enjoying an unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign. The recent draw against Chelsea marked a resilient performance, with Arsenal seemingly on the verge of defeat before securing a point through a late comeback.
Ramsdale, aged 25, has been Arsenal’s second-choice goalkeeper, primarily playing understudy to David Raya since late September. His only start this season was in the Carabao Cup third round match against Brentford, which Arsenal won.
As Ramsdale returns, questions arise regarding Arteta’s goalkeeping choices. David Raya’s performances in the past two games have been somewhat unconvincing. Against Manchester City, Raya displayed nervousness in the early exchanges and was fortunate to escape conceding on two occasions, thanks to a crucial goal-line clearance by Declan Rice. In the game against Chelsea, Raya’s misjudgment of the flight of the ball contributed to an opposition goal. Additionally, he gifted possession to Chelsea when the score was 2-0, though he did make a crucial save to redeem himself.
Considering Ramsdale’s absence from the starting lineup, despite not making any notable mistakes this season, fans and pundits are eager to see whether Arteta will reinstate him into the starting XI for the important clash against Sevilla. Ramsdale’s return brings a sense of competition to the goalkeeping role at Arsenal, providing Arteta with a decision to make regarding the starting goalkeeper for future matches.
