Chelsea are looking to reinforce their goalkeeping department ahead of next season and have ‘set their sights’ on out-of-favour Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale, according to Spanish publication Fichajes.
Ramsdale, who received a lot of plaudits for many of his performances last season, has seen his spot taken away by David Raya this season following his loan move from Brentford.
Mikel Arteta has shown a clear preference for the Spaniard which has meant that Ramsdale has hardly featured at all this season. The England international has been restricted to making a handful of appearances and has mainly been used in the cup competitions.
The situation has led to speculation suggesting that Ramsdale will leave Arsenal this summer in search of regular football and Fichajes claims that Chelsea have now ‘set their sights’ on luring the player to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have both Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic in their ranks and both have featured extensively this season. However, neither have been able to produce consistent performances for Mauricio Pochettino and do not seem to have what it takes to be the Blues’ number one in the long run.
Understandably, Chelsea are looking to reinforce the goalkeeping department and have identified Ramsdale as the perfect upgrade.
The perfect bargain option?
The 25-year-old has featured just 11 times for the Gunners this season, conceding 12 goals and keeping three clean sheets. This is in complete contrast to what happened last season, with Ramsdale featuring 41 times for Mikel Arteta’s side, conceding 46 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets.
Fichajes have revealed that the player might be available for around £25m. Considering his squad status at the Emirates, Arsenal are expected to cash-in so negotiations could be positive. For a goalkeeper at Ramsdale’s age, regular game time is essential and moving to Chelsea will help him get just that.
Whilst Ramsdale is an excellent shot-stopper and often comes up with ridiculous saves, he has previous admitted that he has trouble concentrating through the entirety of games which in turn explains why he is often prone to an absolute howler.
With respect to the Englishman though, it is a question of weighing the pros against the cons. The 25-year-old might not be the most reliable goalie Chelsea can get in-between the sticks but his quality in his position supersedes the odd mistake. More importantly, he is definitely an upgrade on both Sanchez and Petrovic.
An important summer is on the horizon for Ramsdale. He has to make a decision that would help him resurrect his faltering career. A move to Chelsea seems like an ideal match but let’s wait and see if the Blues can get a deal over the line for the talented shot-stopper.
