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Former Arsenal defender Rob Holding has given his take on the current goalkeeping situation between Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta made the bold decision to drop Ramsdale in early September. Raya displaced the English shot-stopper and has seemingly become the Spanish coach's undisputed No.1.
Raya, 28, has made six appearances across competitions, keeping four clean sheets. Meanwhile, Ramsdale, 25, has also appeared as many times, keeping two clean sheets.
It's an intriguing situation at Arsenal and one that Holding admits to keeping watch. The English defender ended a seven-year stay at the Emirates by joining Crystal Palace in the summer.
However, Holding is still keeping an eye on the situation and alluded to his friendship with Ramsdale. He told talkSPORT:
"The whole goalkeeping situation, I have no idea which way that is going to go. Each week, I am looking ‘is Rambo (Ramsdale) in’. I am close to Rambo. We were really good friends whilst we were there."
Holding then talked up Raya's qualities despite only spending a few weeks with the Spaniard:
"I got a little bit of David (Raya) as he came in for a few weeks and I saw his qualities, so it’s an interesting one. I am looking every week thinking ‘who is in?’"
Holding suggested that Arteta has a clear vision for how he wants his goalkeeper to play and that will swing the role of No.1 in either one's favor:
“Whichever one plays is going to be a solid goalkeeper with a technical playing style that Arteta wants for his team.”
There had been speculation over Ramsdale's future after he was dropped. Chelsea and Bayern Munich were reportedly keeping tabs on the England international who was an ever-present for Arsenal last season.
However, Ramsdale is said to have impressed Arteta with his performance in training since being dropped, per The Athletic. He's working hard on trying to convince the Spanish coach he should be his No.1.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has labeled Erling Haaland as the best player in the world
Arsenal finally got a victory over Manchester City in the league when they beat the Premier League reigning champions 1-0 on October 8. It was a frustrating afternoon for Erling Haaland who didn't conjure up a single shot against the Gunners.
Haaland has endured a surprisingly quiet spell recently, without a goal in his three games across competitions. The Norweigan was also kept at bay in his national team's 1-0 defeat to Spain yesterday (October 15). The loss means Norway won't be at next year's European Championships.
However, Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard still insists that Haaland is currently one of the best players in the world. He told Hayters TV:
"Of course, we have with Haaland now, maybe the best player in the world. We have to get the best out of him."
Haaland has bagged eight goals and two assists in 12 games across competitions for City this season. He's one of the favorites to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or after finishing top scorer in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League last season.
