Improved Aaron Ramsdale is the unsung hero in Arsenal’s title push

He might not grab the same headlines as his prodigious offensive teammates, but Aaron Ramsdale has enjoyed a stellar campaign in the Arsenal goal and is central to our ongoing title charge.

The 24-year-old has produced a number of consistent, top-quality performances this season that mark a welcome return to the form of his early Gunners’ career, as several basic errors and dented confidence late last term sparked fears about his short-term reliability for the Mikel Arteta project.

Those reservations were swiftly tempered in 2022/23 thanks to regular demonstrations of well-established talents, with Ramsdale exhibiting fantastic distribution skills and, Sporting CP aside, being increasingly judicious in the sweeper-keeper role. He also boasts a canny knack for throwing the ball accurately over long distances to help us initiate quick counter-attacks.

Aaron Ramsdale has played a big part in maintaining Arsenal’s Premier League challenge

Meanwhile, his long clearances remain an invaluable asset and have elevated Arsenal to second in the league for final-third entries from goal kicks (behind Brentford). A median goal-kick length of just over 60 metres allows Arsenal to compete for second balls deep in the opposition half and gain possession in advanced areas- which then enables us to pin teams back and create chances.

However, Ramsdale is now supplementing long-standing technical expertise with improvement in ‘traditional’ goalkeeping duties. Despite not being his greatest strength, the Englishman has made many big saves at pivotal moments throughout the campaign – including a Premier League Save of the Month contender against Bournemouth – and is reading 1v1 situations with much greater clarity than before, while his willingness to claim crosses relieves pressure on the young backline.

Ramsdale credits the Gunners’ remarkable domestic rise to new arrivals and has spoken highly of the experience and winning mentality they have brought to the squad. He also believes the group has learned from the disappointment of last season and is now better placed to deal with the pressure of a title race.

But we must also acknowledge the role his own efforts have played in keeping the dream alive (earning him the Goalkeeper of the Year prize at the London Football Awards) and commend the mental resilience he has shown to perform every week in high-stakes encounters, with stints further down the football pyramid and relegation heartbreak perhaps equipping him for the present challenge.

Far from crumbling under expectation, our number one recently admitted he is having “so much fun” at the moment and appears to be relishing the prospective title showdown. He has already come a long way in his short career, and outstanding form means the pinnacle is now in sight.