Former Premier League striker and football pundit Stan Collymore has urged Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to consider a move to West Ham United at the end of the season.
Ramsdale has been Arsenal’s second-choice goalkeeper since the September international break. David Raya has got the nod over him in the Premier League and Champions League matches. Ramsdale has only played in the Cup competitions where he won’t feature anymore. Arsenal are already out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this term.
The Englishman could make only one more appearance for the Gunners this campaign against Brentford where Raya will be ineligible to play. His future is uncertain with the club and Collymore feels the 25-year-old could be the perfect foil for the Hammers, who are aiming to establish themselves as a Champions League side in future.
He told CaughtOffside: “I do wonder if West Ham might fancy him though. They’ve got Alphonse Areola and Lukasz Fabianski as their two senior keepers but both are into their 30’s with the latter close to turning 40, so it seems a change in that position is coming sooner rather than later.”
“Could Ramsdale be the man for David Moyes? – I think so, and I also think that’s one club that could offer him exactly what he’s looking for.The Hammers are a big enough club that their players are considered for international duties, they have had recent success in Europe, and by the manager’s own admission, are now aiming to establish themselves as a Champions League side — that seems like the perfect project for a player like Ramsdale.”
Likely departure
When Raya arrived on loan from Brentford last summer, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta talked about the possibility of rotating his goalkeepers around and spoke about potential substitution within games. However, nothing of that sort has happened over the past few months. Ramsdale has lost his starting spot to Raya permanently.
Raya has been guilty of some high-profile errors in goal in the current season, but Ramsdale has not fared better either. His blushes were saved twice in the 1-0 win at Brentford earlier this campaign. He was also unconvincing in the lead up to the own goal scored by Jakub Kiwior in the FA Cup 3rd round defeat to Liverpool at home.
A likely departure looks on the cards during the next transfer window. West Ham could be a future destination for the shot-stopper, who needs regular playing time to keep his national team spot. Ramsdale, whose value has dropped to £24 million as per Transfermarkt, should fancy his prospects of replacing Alphonse Areola at the London club.
