Gary Neville admits he’s been ‘shocked’ by how good Aaron Ramsdale has performed since signing for Arsenal.
Ramsdale joined Arsenal in 2021 for £25million having suffered relegation from the Premier League in each of the previous two seasons with Sheffield United and Bournemouth.
The goalkeeper had conceded a whopping 130 goals in 77 games in that time, and though he was still well-regarded for his distribution, many were baffled as to why Mikel Arteta wanted him to replace the solid Bernd Leno in goal.
But it’s a decision that has been vindicated, with the 24-year-old now a key player for the Gunners and one who could prove pivotal if the north London gone on to win the Premier League title.
This season, he has conceded just 31 goals in as many games in the league and has 12 clean sheets, just one behind Manchester United’s David de Gea and Newcastle’s Nick Pope in the race for the Golden Glove.
Ramsdale was exceptional in last week’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool, making several incredible saves in the dying minutes to salvage a point, whilst also doing his bit to make Mohamed Salah miss a penalty in the second-half.
‘He’s shocked me, him. I thought that was an incredible signing, to lose Leno and to lose [Emiliano] Martinez obviously to [Aston] Villa,’ Neville told Sky Sports prior to Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at West Ham on Sunday.
‘I’m stunned in the way in which [he’s playing], he’s now pushing Jordan Pickford [for the England No.1 spot] I would imagine very close.’
Neville’s former Manchester United teammate Roy Keane concurred, adding: ‘When you’re a goalkeeper at a big club, it looks like he’s a big personality which is just as important.
‘Obviously he has made mistakes, as you do as a goalkeeper, but it’s the way he’s responded to it. He looks like a really good character, popular figure in the dressing room.
‘The importance of goalscorers is vital, but you’re not going to win anything unless you’ve got a really, really good goalkeeper. Again, we talk about the character if goalkeepers. You can talk about technical ability etcetera, but it’s how they react particularly to disappointment.
‘And as I say, what’s come across – not just last week – he looks like a really big, important personality in that dressing room and that’s vital.’
Sadly for Arsenal, Ramsdale was not able to repeat his heroics as the Gunners blew a 2-0 goal lead at West Ham, with his side now just four points clear of Manchester City having played a game more.
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