What's happening with Aaron Ramsdale? £24m star Arteta loved now fourth-choice in Championship

Aaron Ramsdale went from Arsenal's No.1 goalkeeper in a title race to not playing a competitive game of football for five months

Few could have foreseen that Aaron Ramsdale would go from being named in the PFA Team of the Year to fourth-choice goalkeeper at a Championship club in just three years.

Ramsdale was signed by Mikel Arteta in the summer of 2021 in a deal worth £24million plus £6m in add-ons - a figure which was scrutinised heavily by Arsenal fans and the media due to him suffering successive Premier League relegations previously.

So how was it that Arteta went from defending the signing, saying "I think the fans are going to love his personality, his character," making him the first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Bernd Leno, and developing him as a core player, to unceremoniously replacing him with David Raya?

The Gunners under Arteta launched their first title challenge in the 2022/23 season, during which Ramsdale’s goalkeeping heroics and consistency were key. But many will point to a key error late in the season against Southampton as the beginning of the end of his time at Arsenal.

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His mistake for the first Southampton goal was costly and resulted in a 3-3 draw which handed the initiative to Manchester City, who took full advantage and pipped Arsenal to the title. Four months later, Raya was signed from Brentford as Arteta’s clear favourite for the No.1 jersey.

Ramsdale was set on a path which saw him go from an England international on the cusp of a Premier League title, to the fourth-choice at Southampton in what are meant to be his peak years. But understanding why the 28-year-old has endured such a remarkable fall from grace is more complex than a mere error he made three years ago.

Arsenal rise and unceremonious fall

Ramsdale quickly silenced his critics in his first season at the Emirates Stadium, pulling off incredible acrobatic saves and endearing himself to Gunners supporters with his passion. After displacing Leno, the shot-stopper helped Arsenal finish fifth in 2021/22.

He was a crucial part of Arsenal’s spine as they launched a surprise title challenge the following season and, despite his blunder in the draw with Southampton, he made the PFA Team of the Year and was rewarded with a new contract in May 2023.

"The way Aaron has developed over the past two years has been exceptional," Arteta said, before adding that fans could enjoy "many more years of Aaron the player and the person".

That context made the signing of Raya that same summer even more brutal. Arsenal had been eyeing the Spaniard from as early as 2020, with goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana being a key advocate, having worked with him at Brentford.

While undoubtedly harsh on Ramsdale, Cana and Arteta’s thought process behind bringing in Raya was clear, and they have since been fully justified, with the Arsenal No.1 winning three consecutive golden glove awards and playing a starring role in their title-winning campaign last season.

A BBC report in 2023 highlighted that Arteta specifically wanted opponents to be encouraged to press Arsenal’s goalkeeper, only for the goalkeeper to beat the press with his passing, which explained why Raya was seen as a clear upgrade on Ramsdale. The former proved that with a higher pass completion ratio of 79.7% in his first few months, as opposed to Ramsdale’s 66.5%, while also completing 48.4% of his long passes, compared with Ramsdale’s 30.4%.

Overall, Raya’s willingness to wait on the ball, attract opponents, and then his technique to play through the press, as well as his aerial proficiency, made him the obvious next step in Arsenal’s goalkeeping evolution.

Externally, there were question marks too around Ramsdale’s focus for a top level goalkeeper. He candidly told Ian Wright before his fall from grace: "If you ask me to concentrate on a match for 90 minutes I’m finished. I can’t do it," before explaining that interacting with supporters gave him little mental resets before concentrating intensely again.

The interview resurfaced when he lost his Arsenal place and his quotes were somewhat unfairly used as a stick to beat him with. Yet, there is some truth to Raya being a calmer presence between the sticks, while Ramsdale was more animated and excitable.

After leaving Arsenal, Ramsdale insisted there was no bad blood or personal falling out with Arteta, stating the manager’s decision was merely a matter of preference. He explained: "I tried my best to change his mind and force my way back in. His mind was set and at the same time David had a great season. You can have all all the upset or qualms about being taken out but when someone else is delivering, you’ve just got to take it on the chin."

From title fight to fourth relegation

Southampton provided an ideal escape route for Ramsdale, agreeing an £18m deal which could rise to £25m as they pulled off what appeared to be a coup. Then-boss Russell Martin described his arrival as a "real statement signing" and Ramsdale later revealed Martin made him feel "about eight feet tall", given he suited the manager’s philosophy of playing out from the back.

But the move did not work out as planned. He made 30 league appearances for a Saints side which finished bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points - the second-lowest ever points tally in the competition - and conceded more goals (66) than any other goalkeeper in 2024/25.

Ramsdale was not to blame - the problem, rather, was everything happening in front of him, as he tried to keep scorelines respectable for an entire season. Martin was sacked in December and Ramsdale suffered his fourth relegation as a professional.

The Saints’ relegation did little to rehabilitate his reputation and he sought a return to top flight football via a loan move to Newcastle United for the 2025/26 campaign.

Newcastle struggle

Newcastle were the ideal next opportunity for Ramsdale, especially given the fact he had thrived under Eddie Howe previously at Bournemouth. Howe described him as an "exceptional goalkeeper," but Ramsdale’s route to the No.1 spot was never as straightforward as he would have liked.

Nick Pope began the season as first choice and it took a combination of inconsistent form and injury for Ramsdale to earn regular game time. There were good moments, for example in the 4-1 win over Everton and the three penalty saves in the FA Cup against Bournemouth.

But he never quite showed enough in terms of his shot-stopping or ball-playing to convince Howe to make him Newcastle’s first choice. He also conceded seven goals in one game during a 7-2 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League last-16.

Ramsdale kept just two clean sheets in 23 appearances in all competitions and featured just 12 times in the league. As such, Newcastle opted not to take up the option to buy him at the end of the season, meaning he returned to Southampton this summer.

Fourth-choice at St Mary’s

Upon returning to the south coast, the goalkeeper found that Southampton had moved on while he was away. Daniel Peretz impressed head coach Tonda Eckert enough to be signed permanently and George Long and Jamie Jones were the second and third options, respectively.

The Saints boss was very clear about where Ramsdale stood in the hierarchy. "The reality is that Rambo's story with the football club started before myself," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've had honest conversations from the first day of pre-season until the very last day of the transfer window. The expectations for him are clear to support the team in the best way and he's been very professional in doing that so far."

The important context regarding his current situation is that he reportedly had opportunities to leave during the summer, both domestically and abroad. But, given his young family are settled on the south coast, a temporary move did not appeal to him.

Ramsdale remains a popular figure in the dressing room and, despite his exclusion from the team this season being a great source of frustration, he is still said to have a good relationship with Eckert. Ramsdale believes there is a route back into the first team for him at St Mary's and is willing to fight for his place until at least January, when the winter transfer window opens. After that, his future is expected to become much clearer.