Ramsdale's pre-match reaction to losing Arsenal place to Raya spoke volumes

17 September 2023 , 16:42

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Aaron Ramsdale has lost his place for Arsenal (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Aaron Ramsdale was in a cheerful mood ahead of Arsenal's game against Everton, despite being brutally dropped for David Raya.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta made the decision to demote his No.1 goalkeeper for Sunday's away fixture in place of new signing Raya, who joined on loan from Brentford in the summer transfer window. Ramsdale had retained his place for the first four games of the new Premier League season, but when Arsenal made the journey to Merseyside, Arteta gave the gloves to his new addition.

Ramsdale didn't let his head drop, though, as he was spotted smiling and sharing a hug with Raya during the warm-up. The 25-year-old, who earned a start for England on Tuesday as they beat Scotland 3-1, then had to take his place on the bench at Goodison Park, with Arteta having explained why Spain international Raya got the nod.

"I think I mentioned that we wanted a bigger and better squad with two players with quality in this position, we have a lot of games coming up now over the next month," the Arsenal manager told Sky Sports.

"We want to use the players we have and there'll be more opportunities for games in the future. We tried to put the best possible teams out to start the game, and then we have those that can finish a game. This is what we believe is the best way to balance the team out."

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Ramsdale's reaction backed up previous comments from Arteta, who was asked about how his goalkeeper responded to Raya's arrival last month. "Very positive," the Gunners boss affirmed. "The way I see them training, I saw a training session they did the other day, it was fantastic.

Aaron Ramsdale was all smiles despite David Raya replacing him (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

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"I think the connection that they have straight away is really good, but this is something that doesn't surprise me. This is what I expect from players. It's the same that I expect when I brought Declan Rice. What is their reaction? Hopefully really, really positive because the team wants to be better.

"If that's not the reaction, the team doesn't want to be better, then I will be worried. Then we haven't created an environment that we want at this club."

Ramsdale himself, who signed a new long-term contract in May, will now have to buckle down in order to wrestle his place back and he could get an opportunity when Arsenal face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday. The former Bournemouth and Sheffield United shot-stopper has been at the Emirates since August 2021, going on to make 83 appearances.

Nathan Ridley