Arsenal have Aaron Ramsdale transfer bid rejected

Arsenal need a goalkeeper. Desperately so. There is only one senior option at the club with any Premier League starts under his belt and among the host of areas the tackle bringing in a new man between the sticks has risen up the to-do list.

Arthur Okonkwo is going to be a star in north London. His non-competitive debut will not have convinced many that this is the case but he wasn’t promoted to the senior side at 19 years old without a reason. He has a big future.

Alex Runarsson, however, does not. At least in north London, that is. The Icelandic goalkeeper was a failed signing based off of one man’s poor recommendation and not even the most optimistic supporters can envisage a future for the 26-year-old in red and white.

It was a strange signing to begin with and a move to Turkey is now on the cards, albeit not known whether it will be permanent or temporary. There is no point in making it the latter.

Arsenal have Aaron Ramsdale transfer bid rejected by Sheffield United as Mikel Arteta pushes for Bernd Leno goalkeeping competition

With Kieran Tierney linking up with the squad in Edinburgh following the Hibernian defeat, it shouldn’t be too long until Bernd Leno does likewise. The captain in waiting arrived sooner than expected but there is a chance the German could make the journey to Florida for the Gunners’ pre-season tour.

And upon arriving back in the UK, he may be joined by a new teammate.

Arsenal’s desire for a young and homegrown goalkeeper hasn’t taken them far and wide. There are precious few options. David Raya was the primary target only for Brentford’s promotion to pour cold water on their pursuit – perhaps for the better given he’s Inaki Cana’s choice – while the case of Freddie Woodman hasn’t materialise into anything concrete.

It leaves them with slim pickings. Essentially, the best place to look is at the England international squad, which is apparently what Arsenal have done.

Aaron Ramsdale has emerged as the new first choice option to come in and challenge Leno for a starting berth. With there being every chance the German leaves in 12 months it means the Sheffield United stopper won’t have to wait long take the number one spot should he fail to usurp him this season.

Ahead of him in the pecking order for England is Sam Johnstone, who Arsenal are also monitoring, although being five years Ramsdale’s senior will have made a difference in the Gunners’ thinking.

Undoubtedly it’s Ramsdale Arsenal are after and The Athletic report that they’ve made their move.

Continued…

Arsenal to Persist With Aaron Ramsdale Transfer Pursuit

While an unspecified amount, Amy Lawrence of The Athletic reveals that Arsenal’s ‘latest’ offer has been turned down by Sheffield United, who want comfortably more than the £18m they paid Bournemouth last summer.

Some reports are that they’re holding out for around £30m.

Interestingly, this is not the first bid. It’s been rejected nonetheless, but the Gunners maintain an interest and will pursue this again.

Say what you want about a goalkeeper who has suffered back-to-back relegations and looks a bit erratic in the box, but Arsenal have made their intentions clear and will not rest until they get their man. Dependent on cost, that is.

Ramsdale is not at the level (yet) where he should be taking Leno’s place in the team. If the plan is for him to do that in 12 months’ time then spending £25m, or whatever it will take, this summer to have someone warming the bench in case of another dirty Neal Maupay tackle is another example of poor resource distribution.

What is really holding Arsenal back in their hunt for a goalkeeper is the need for them to be homegrown. If they needed to fit that quota so importantly then Emi Martinez should have been kept.

To meet the homegrown demands perhaps it would have been a better idea sourcing a left-back from the lower divisions instead? Why is it so important that the goalkeeper is homegrown?

Either way, it’s a deal that looks like happening – at least if intent is anything to go by – so it should be time to place some faith in the recruitment team, as hard as that may be, that they’ve found a candidate to be Arsenal number one for years to come.