Arsenal: Magnificent Aaron Ramsdale a stroke of genius

Where the Credit Lies in Aaron Ramsdale Trajectory

Arsenal’s scouting department has undergone some substantial changes in recent years. It’s all been part of Edu’s masterplan to craft a small and close-knit recruitment team. While it isn’t known exactly who was behind Ramsdale’s signing, they deserve immeasurable credit.

Near enough everyone saw a goalkeeper suffer successive relegations and spend an entire season thumping the ball as far as he could onto David McGoldrick’s head. The scouting department saw a young man with extensive Premier League experience who had the capacity to not only use his feet more, but in a way that could transform the build-up play in a team an reinstate an idea of possession football.

Even in a dreadful Bournemouth side where he was given more freedom to play out from the back there were issues with quality across the squad that made that aspect less noticeable. These scouts saw it and they believed in it. Arteta pushed through with the transfer and the result was what was on show in the east Midlands.

But Ramsdale deserves the most credit of all. He joined to a cacophony of confusion and disbelief, suffering inexplicable messages on his social channels from supposed Arsenal fans ridiculing him before he’s even kicked a ball.

Amid that, having to prove himself ahead of Leno and the adjustments into a back five who’d near enough never played with each other before, what he’s achieving is remarkable.

No amount of praise can be heaped onto this 23-year-old as he looks set to be the Arsenal No. 1 goalkeeper for years to come. What a player, what a signing, and what a man. Humility and heroics in equal measure.