"I texted him before the game" - David Seaman opens up on what he told Aaron Ramsdale before Premier League clash against Arsenal this season

Arsenal legend David Seaman sent English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale a supportive message before Southhampton faced the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season.

Ramsdale joined the Saints in August 2024 from Arsenal for a reported transfer fee of £18 million. He played for the Gunners between 2021 and 2024, primarily as the first-choice goalkeeper. The Englishman made 89 appearances for the North London club, conceding 99 goals and keeping 32 clean sheets.

However, with David Raya's arrival at the Emirates, Ramsdale fell down in the pecking order and eventually joined Southampton. During his time at Arsenal, he developed a close bond with former goalkeeper David Seaman.

Before Ramsdale returned to the Emirates Stadium as a part of the opposition in October, Seaman sent him a supportive message after the former's pre-match interview with Sky Sports. Seaman wished him luck for the Premier League clash.

He said on a podcast via Betway (via Football London):

"I texted him before the game. I said 'brilliant interview on sky', because I watched the one, and I said 'play your game and have a belter'. I really wanted him to have a belter because no matter what the score was, I wanted him to play well."

Mikel Arteta's side won the match 3-1, with Kai Havertz (58'), Gabriel Martinelli (66'), and Bukayo Saka (88') scoring for the Gunners. Meanwhile, Cameron Archer scored the Saints only goal in the 55th minute.

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Arsenal interested in signing Portuguese midfielder in 2025: Reports

FC Porto v CF Estrela da Amadora - Liga Portugal Betclic - Source: Getty

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have joined Liverpool and Aston Villa in the race to sign FC Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez in the next summer transfer window, as per Spanish outlet SPORT. Gonzalez is an academy product of Barcelona. However, he left La Blaugrana in July 2023 to join Porto.

Since joining the Portuguese giants, the Spanish midfielder has made 63 appearances across all competitions, bagging seven goals and eight assists. His release clause is estimated to be around €60 million. If any club triggers the price, Barcelona will get 40 percent of the amount due to a sell-on clause.

The contract of Jorginho and Thomas Partey will expire next summer and as per the aforementioned report, the Gunners are not looking forward to offering them an extension. They're also linked with Chelsea's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who joined the Blues from Leicester City earlier this year.