Aaron Ramsdale sends clear message to Mikel Arteta over Arsenal exit | Football

The 26-year-old made just 10 appearances in all competitions this season following Arteta’s decision to sign David Raya on loan from Brentford last summer and make the Spaniard his first-choice goalkeeper.

Arsenal are now set to sign Raya on a permanent deal from Brentford for £27 million. Ramsdale, meanwhile, has attracted interest from Newcastle United but the club are unwilling to meet Arsenal’s £30m valuation.

Ramsdale is currently with England’s squad as they prepare for their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on Sunday but is expected to be on the bench with Gareth Southgate favouring Everton’s Jordan Pickford as his first-choice goalkeeper.

But the Arsenal goalkeeper has praised Gareth Southgate for clearly explaining his role within the England squad and says his ‘mentality changes’ when he joins up with the national team.

‘I think Jordan has had the shirt and we’ve all been trying desperately hard for the past five years to get it off him and he’s done incredibly well,’ Ramsdale told talkSPORT.

‘And if he gets the nod then I hope he does incredibly well again because if he wins the tournament for me and I don’t play a minute, it’ll be the happiest day of my life.

‘But what I would say is that squad numbers don’t always mean everything – we’re all fighting for the same goal, we’re all desperate to play. But then we also realise that it’s going to be a 26-man effort, 27 when you add Tom [Heaton] into it.

‘No footballer wants to not play. I’ve had a tough year personally not playing and I never want to do that again.

‘But when you come to the national team, when you find your role, when you know your role, which Gareth is very good at speaking to you about, your mentality changes, I would do absolutely anything if he said I was No.3, No.4, No.1, I would do anything for the team, I’d be on the training pitch for four hours if I could.

‘Competition is what we need, we don’t want 11 players who are going to pick itself, we want to give headaches to the staff, we can’t just rely on 11 players for seven games if you want to win the tournament.’

Asked how he felt after falling behind Raya as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper, Ramsdale replied: ‘It was tough, it was tough.

‘But I have my release now, I’m now here, I’ve got the greatest honour, the greatest badge on my chest, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if I play a minute or no minutes, it will be the pinnacle for me, the best day ever.

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