19 December 2023 , 16:56
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Aaron Ramsdale "absolutely has to leave" Arsenal according to former player Emmanuel Petit, who can see he is "miserable".
The goalkeeper had been No.1 at the Emirates for the past two years but has now been relegated to second choice. David Raya was signed from Brentford in the summer and, within weeks of his arrival, was thrown in by Mikel Arteta and has retained his role.
Ramsdale had done little wrong during his time between the sticks but now finds himself, largely, watching on from the bench. It has put his club career and his international ambitions on hold and Petit now believes he must seek pastures new in January with plenty of teams set to be keen on his services.
He told Compare.bet : "People say that signing Raya was a mistake and he hasn’t been perfect but aren’t Arsenal top of the league? Yes Raya has made some mistakes but he has also made some brilliant saves and he has been excellent in building up from the back.
"If I was Ramsdale there is no doubt I would ask for a move away in January. I can see he is miserable at the moment and every day he must be waking up thinking ‘what did I do wrong?’ He did everything, and has no reason to feel responsible for dropping him, but you cannot deny that Arsenal are first in the league with Raya in goal.
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"Especially with the Euros coming up, Ramsdale absolutely has to leave. I’m pretty sure there are many, many clubs in the Premier League that would love to have him."
David Raya has taken Aaron Ramsdale's place as Arsenal's No 1 (Getty Images)Ramsdale was part of the Arsenal team that went close to the title last term before falling away late on. His replacement, Raya, has received mixed reviews with his build-up play seen as a point of difference, yet he's made several high profile errors since coming in.
Arteta has continued to stick by his compatriot, defending him where necessary. The Gunners boss previously spoke about his desire to increase competition in every position, goalkeeper included. Despite having two quality No 1s Arteta has started Raya in every league game but one since handing him his debut.
He said earlier this season: "I cannot have two players in each position and not play them. David has tremendous qualities, like Aaron has, like Karl (Hein) has and we have to use them."