Despite starring at Arsenal, Aaron Ramsdale was replaced by David Rye. Photo: PA/Nick Potts
There's something pretty strange going on at the moment. happens at Arsenal games. Whenever the ball goes into David Raya's goal or the Spanish goalkeeper makes a wrong pass, thousands of football fans instantly think of the other player. You can almost hear the minds spinning and asking the same questions: What would Aaron Ramsdale do there? Would Aaron Ramsdale allow this? Would Aaron Ramsdale have picked this pass?
When Raya made a good save earlier this season, the cameras showed Ramsdale on the bench. When Raya nearly scored a cheap goal against Manchester City a few weeks later, the cameras panned to Ramsdale sitting on the bench. One can imagine that if Raya came to training with a new hairstyle, then within minutes cameramen would appear at Ramsdale's hair salon, just to see how the Englishman would react.
It seems that whenever Raya does anything at all, the immediate collective reaction is to question what it means for Ramsdale. It certainly was for Arsenal fans at Stamford Bridge on Saturday: after Raya almost gifted Chelsea's Cole Palmer a second-half goal, the away fans sang Ramsdale's name. Ramsdale was absent from the game due to the birth of his son, but if he had been there, all eyes would have turned to him.
Is this normal? Not really no. But again, it is not normal to have two goalkeepers of this quality in one team. Mikel Arteta, the head coach of Arsenal, admitted this himself.
The more pressing question now, especially after Arsenal's draw with Chelsea, is whether this situation is beneficial for the goalkeeper on the pitch. Raya was nervous in the first half against Manchester City earlier this month and had a tough time at Stamford Bridge, conceding Mikhail Mudrik's cross and then handing the chance to Palmer. Mudrik later stated that his goal was a deliberate move to expose Rai's position. dfg»
Rai has a hard time adjusting to life at a new club while his team's fans sing songs about the man he replaced. Ramsdale is also not easy to watch from the sidelines just months after signing a new long-term contract.
Ramsdale's talent is not in doubt, but, with Raya currently the first choice, the Englishman's efforts may be limited to training. Photo: Getty Images/David Price
For better or worse, this is precisely the situation Arteta and his coaching staff created when they decided to sign Raya (who would ultimately cost around £30 million) from Brentford in the summer. It was, of course, a ruthless decision and they clearly believe Raya is the better goalkeeper. Why else would they do it? As Telegraph Sport reported earlier this month, the statistics back this up.
But Ramsdale's enormous popularity means that change has come at a price. Arsenal fans love the 25-year-old for his personality, sense of humor and his role in making the club a real force again. Over time, they may come to love Raya just as much, but that's not happening yet.
All of this means that Raya faces unusually intense scrutiny. The Raya v Ramsdale debate is one of the hottest topics in English football and it seems to be increasingly divisive. Fans and experts choose sides. Are you Team Paradise or Team Ramsdale? Explain yourself!
While everyone else is arguing among themselves, there is only one question that really matters to Arteta and his coaches. Is Raya really that much better than Ramsdale that his inclusion is worth all the fuss? Judging by their team selection in recent weeks, they must think the answer is yes.
It will be interesting to see, however, whether Ramsdale is given a chance in Tuesday's Champions League match against Sevilla. Raya had a disappointing performance against Chelsea — as did most Arsenal players, especially in the first half — and so it would be reasonable to assume that Ramsdale might be allowed to return to the starting line-up (assuming he is traveling with the team so soon after how the father became).
In the medium to long term, there are three obvious ways to defuse this situation. Firstly, Raya set the target brilliantly and completely established himself as the best option in the eyes of the rest of the world. Second — Ramsdale regains his place and assigns Raya to the role of reserve. The third is one of them, almost certainly Ramsdale, leaving the club. At the moment, the debate continues.
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