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Arsene Wenger sends warning to Mikel Arteta over Aaron Ramsdale treatment.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has cautioned Mikel Arteta about his handling of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, emphasizing that rotating goalkeepers can lead to problems down the line.
Ramsdale played a significant role in Arsenal’s performance last season but has been benched this year in favor of summer signing David Raya, who arrived on loan from Brentford with a potential permanent transfer in the future.
Wenger’s warning highlights the potential challenges that can arise from frequent changes in goalkeeping choices, which can affect the stability and confidence of both goalkeepers. Maintaining a clear and consistent goalkeeping hierarchy is a key aspect of managing a successful football team.
“I don’t believe in rotating goalkeepers, it’s a lack of clarity of the hierarchy,” he told beIN Sports.
“That doesn’t work unless the hierarchy exists until you say ‘look it’s two or three bad performances and now it’s a change and I give a chance to the other one’. The hierarchy has to be clear.
“On the other hand, when you’re in this position, it happened to me many times, you have a good team and you want to improve it. You look and think ‘what can I improve?’ Maybe the distribution from the back.
“It happened to me with the centre-backs, you want the guy who has better distribution from the back. And then you realise he is less good defensively and his first job is to defend.”
Asked which goalkeeper he would choose for his team, Wenger declined to make a decision but offered his support to Ramsdale.
“Personally I like Ramsdale,” he said. “If I was in his position, I would not give up because I believe he has a chance to come back into the team.
“[Is Ramsdale] better? I don’t know. I just think Ramsdale has made decisive saves in the games last season. They were not happy maybe with his feet.”
Though he has kept five of a possible nine clean sheets, Raya’s tenure as Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper has been uneventful. In some games, he has failed to inspire trust.
We are aware that Ramsdale is content to battle for his future at the Emirates for the time being, but with Chelsea and other teams keeping an eye on things, he could have to reevaluate his options at the conclusion of the year.