3 reasons why Aaron Ramsdale is destined to go to the top

Few Arsenal signings have been met with the kind of undue hate and abuse that Aaron Ramsdale was, and even fewer have turned around the fanbase faster with their performances.

Since arriving, Ramsdale has grown immensely as a goalkeeper and saved Arsenal many more times than he’s let them down, as Sunday’s performance at St James’ Park will testify to.

The Arsenal goalkeeper produced one of the saves of the season from a close-range Fabian Schar header at 1-0 and also kept out Joe Willock in the first half, which proved to be two vital periods for the team.

3 reasons why Aaron Ramsdale is destined to go to the top

1. Improvements

At Bournemouth and Sheffield United, Ramsdale played a very different game to the one he does at Arsenal, but that double relegation badge has been used as a stick to beat him with, despite him winning player of the season at both clubs.

When he came to Arsenal, he had the opportunity to play with his feet, and line-breaking, vertical passes quickly became the norm. His ability and bravery in possession instantly changed the way Arsenal played and handed Arteta one of the pieces he had been missing in his first full season.

That ability covered up some of his positional lapses, but this season, he has improved both his one-vs-one and long-range shot-stopping, and has become a dependable keeper at just 24 years old, with his display at Anfield perhaps the best demonstration of that.

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2. Mentality

A huge part of Ramsdale’s development has been down to his mentality. We saw during the ‘All Or Nothing’ documentary just how personally he takes things, and the impact mistakes have on him.

But, he can use that as a driver. That motivation and drive don’t come with every player, and Ramsdale has used it to quickly become one of the leaders in the squad, while also significantly improving his all-round game.

Those improvements have mainly come through timing, composure and positioning, which he has combined with his bravery to enable him to play passes few others could, and stand strong in one on one situations in a way he wasn’t doing this time a year ago.

As the season has gone on, his game has developed immensely, but when you listen to his interviews, he is still so hungry and often critical of himself. If he can further harness that, he will no doubt be up there with the likes of Ederson and Alisson next season.

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3. Next steps

Ramsdale’s bravery is the thing that makes him the player he is. He is never scared to take risks on the pitch, or throw himself into a situation where he may get hurt, but identifying risk versus reward will be the next step on his journey.

While Mikel Arteta trusts and wants him to play out from the back, he will also expect him to use his judgment on the pitch, and identify risks before they lead to dangerous situations, like we saw against Southampton in the 3-3 draw.

Similarly, identifying risks from set pieces and timing his attack is crucial to the next step. Arsenal’s recent record as a team in this department has been dreadful, however, Ramsdale is not the only one to blame, and did look much better when collecting high balls against Newcastle.

If he can continue his one-on-one improvements and become stronger with corners and decision-making when playing from the back, Arsenal have a keeper who is destined to ascend to the very top of his craft.