The Early Career Redemption of Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale, or ‘Rambo’, as he is affectionately known, has had an interesting few years in his footballing career. Now at Arsenal and after making his England debut, he seems a player who has the world at his feet… or in his hands, if you prefer. However, that hasn’t always been the case.
To get to this point, he has had to deal with relegations, high-profile mistakes and the pressure of not one, but two large transfer fees.
Overcame Relegation
As a young goalkeeper, Ramsdale had to overcome not one, but two relegations. First with Bournemouth, then with Sheffield United. Generally speaking, he played quite well for both sides as they went down. Nonetheless, getting relegated can affect the confidence and the reputation of a young player. Both his initial move to The Blades and then to The Gunners were both questioned, especially considering that the combined fee for both transfers comes to around £45m.
Overcame Doubters
After Sheffield United went down, Arsenal swooped for the young player. As we said, not everybody thought that he was the right man for the North London club. However, his performances since joining the club have been excellent and now him and his club look like they are on the up. He has even won player of the month since joining.
Jamie Carragher was one of the pundits who thought that Ramsdale wasn’t the right choice for Arsenal. When they made the signing, he said: “They got rid of [Aston Villa’s Emi] Martinez, who is a brilliant keeper, for what… £20million? A snip. He was one of the best keepers last season.
“And now they are going to sign someone from a relegated team for £30m… who is doing their business there? What are they doing? They are a mess. They are signing a keeper who is not as good as they had. They sold the keeper for £20m and bringing in someone who’s not as good as him. Aaron Ramsdale is not as good as Martinez.”
Carragher has since admitted he was wrong about the player.
The Next Stage
Of course, it is still early in the career of Ramsdale, but the resilience he has shown will stand to him as he faces other obstacles further down the line. This season has proved to be a decisive one for the keeper. It seems like he has turned a corner and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He has even managed to make his England debut in that infamous drubbing of San Marino.
He may have conceded a few against Liverpool this past weekend, but we reckon that he will bounce back, just like he has done from every difficult situation he has faced in his career so far.
