Aaron Ramsdale has admitted to FourFourTwo that he expected needing ‘maybe a year’ to replace Bernd Leno following his transfer to Arsenal from Sheffield United last summer.
The Gunners raided Bramall Lane to hand manager Mikel Arteta a new option to challenge between the sticks in August. Leno had been the first-choice at the Emirates Stadium since arriving in north London from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, but Arteta wanted fresh pressure.
Replacing Leno as the first-choice seemed a questionable act at the time of Arsenal sealing Ramsdale’s transfer from Sheffield United. The £22m German often produced top saves to keep the Gunners in games or ahead. But he also lacked in areas where Ramsdale shines.
Leno never truly commanded his penalty area and frequently elects to punch danger clear than collect the ball, unlike Ramsdale. The England international has also proven he offers a greater option when looking to play out from the back or starting a quick counter-attack.
Yet Arteta faced opposition within the Arsenal hierarchy when pushing the club to pursue Ramsdale’s £30m transfer, per The Athletic. The Spaniard was the driving force behind the Gunners’ pursuit, while technical director Edu pushed back and favoured a cheaper option.
Ramsdale admits he expected needing ‘maybe a year’ to replace Leno at Arsenal
Arteta eventually won the argument and Edu secured Ramsdale’s transfer to Arsenal after the opening league game of the season. Leno retained the gloves for their next two, but losing to Chelsea and Manchester City in a winless month saw Arteta make an early switch.
Ramsdale has since started all but one of the Emirates outfit’s following 25 while keeping 12 clean sheets. That is as many as Leno has made over his last 39 Premier League games, after shutting out Aston Villa before the international break with Ramsdale out injured.
Yet Ramsdale did not expect to earn Arteta’s trust on the pitch so soon. He even suspected it could take all season to work his way ahead of Leno in the north London pecking order.
“With Bernd Leno pushing me every day, I know I can’t sit back and take it easy, because he’ll take the No.1 spot off me just as quickly as I took it off him,” Ramsdale said. “He’s been good with me. We fight for the same spot, but we have each other’s backs, too.
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“For me, it’s not about what happens months into the first season, I’d prefer to be judged four or five years down the line. I thought [taking Leno’s place] would be a process of four months, maybe a year, but I was ready.
“I felt settled straight away, knowing some of the lads, and the manager made it so easy for me by saying: ‘Just go and play your game’. Once I’d got in, it was so comfortable for me to do my stuff.”
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