Arsenal have recently been reported to be working on securing new contracts for the trio of William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, and it now appears that the Gunners have their eye on offering another member of Mikel Arteta’s squad a new deal.
What’s the news?
A report from The Athletic on Tuesday stated: “A new contract for Aaron Ramsdale is also on Arsenal’s agenda. Although he only joined the club in 2021, he has since established himself as the No 1 and is a regular part of the England international setup.
“There is an acknowledgement on all sides that he should be rewarded with a salary more in line with a first-choice goalkeeper at a top-six club.”
As the report mentioned, Arsenal signed the goalkeeper from Sheffield United in the summer before last in a deal worth a reported fee of up to £30m. Since then, the Englishman has gone on to make 47 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions, keeping 18 clean sheets in the process.
Ramsdale has been excellent
This season has seen the 24-year-old face 29 shots on target in the league, with Ramsdale saving 21 to leave him with a save percentage of 69% and only four other goalkeepers with a higher percentage who have played in 10 league games.
Hailed in the past by journalist Sam Dean for his “phenomenal” performances for Arsenal, the ‘keeper has also earned praise more recently from Arteta, who described his display in the 1-0 win against Leeds United last Sunday as “excellent“.
With all that in mind, it’s easy to see why the club are keen to tie down the £60k-per-week shot-stopper to a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.
If Arsenal manage to secure new deals for the likes of Saliba, Saka and Martinelli, it would make sense for them to then focus on giving Ramsdale a new contract at some point further down the line, as he has certainly earned one.
