Mikel Arteta on when Arsenal will discuss the future of “controversial” signing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made it clear that nothing is going to be discussed now in terms of Aaron Ramsdale’s future at the Emirates Stadium after his difficult season falling behind David Raya in the pecking order.

Ramsdale was the clear number one for Arsenal last season and few would’ve necessarily expected him to be someone the Gunners look to replace after he performed well in that role, helping Arteta’s side challenge for the title and come close to finishing ahead of eventual treble winners Manchester City.

However, Arsenal ended up signing Raya on loan from Brentford in the summer, and that’s left Ramsdale having to make do with a place on the bench for much of this campaign, with the England international surely unlikely to put up with it for much longer as he’ll need to play week in, week out to keep himself in Gareth Southgate’s plans.

When asked about Ramsdale in his press conference, Arteta was full of praise for the former Sheffield United goalkeeper, saying he had no regrets about what looked like a “controversial” signing when he first joined, whilst adding that nothing would be decided on his future until the end of the season.

Ramsdale transfer clarity will have to wait – Arteta

When asked about Ramsdale, Arteta said: “I’m really happy with the call that we made together as a club to sign him, because it was very controversial to start with. We helped a lot to change his career in a really powerful way. I’m really happy that he came here.”

On his future, he added: “Now is the season, now is tomorrow … those talks are for much after, I think.”

Arsenal fans will no doubt back their manager here, with Raya looking like clearly the superior option, as popular as Ramsdale may have been with the Emirates