Mikel Arteta set to trial second Arsenal experiment after £30m transfer decision

Mikel Arteta is considering dropping Aaron Ramsdale in favour of handing David Raya his Arsenal debut after the international break. Ramsdale has established himself as the Gunners' No 1 since his £24million arrival from Sheffield United in 2021.

The England international stepped up his performances last term as he made a number of incredible saves during Arsenal's Premier League title challenge against Manchester City — seeing him be named in the PFA team of the year. However, despite his brilliant displays for the Gunners, Arteta wanted to bring in freshcompetition for the 25-year-old this summer as Raya completed a move to the Emirates Stadium from Brentford.

According to the Daily Mail, the Spanish goalkeeper could now be handed the opportunity to start ahead of Ramsdale after impressing in training since his arrival. The Arsenal No.1 has come under increasing pressure to keep his position as first choice keeper since Raya's arrival — with the Spaniard rejecting moves to Bayern Munich and Chelsea in the summer.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both questioned Arteta's decision to bring in such strong competition for Ramsdale ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Assessing the transfer on Sky Sports, Neville explained: «I've said this before, that I'm not a fan of competition for goalkeepers; I think you need a clear No.1 and then a clear No.2. That's my view having experienced it at United [like that].

Carragher added: „In that situation Gary, normally what you're talking about at Manchester United and other clubs, when the two goalkeepers are equal, normally it's because they're not good enough. That's what it feels [like] to me. You don't normally have a situation where you're seen as having two top goalkeepers.“

Neville