‘I FELT BAD’: Aaron Ramsdale says he felt bad for player Arsenal sold for just £8m, he’s actually ‘so good’
Aaron Ramsdale has heaped praise on former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno and told The Fellas podcast that he feels bad after hearing what’s been said about him.
Ramsdale has been exceptional for the Gunners since he made the switch from Bournemouth last summer.
The 24-year-old’s move to the Emirates Stadium certainly raised some eyebrows after he had been relegated with Sheffield United, the Cherries and Chesterfield during a four-year period beforehand.
But the Englishman got his opportunity after Arteta’s side got off to a dismal start at the beginning of last season.
Of course, Arsenal already had a capable shot stopper in Leno at the club. But the German was underperforming at the time and Ramsdale earned his place as the club’s number one.
Now, after Leno joined Fulham for a fee worth £8 million over the summer, Ramsdale says the criticism his former teammate has received since is unfair.
Ramsdale feels bad for Leno
Speaking on The Fellas podcast, Ramsdale revealed that he had the choice between being number one at another club, or joining Arsenal and battling it out with Leno.
“As soon as it Arsenal, I was like ‘I’m going there. Then I knew how good Bernd was, he’s so good,” he said.
“At that time he was having a little bit of dip in confidence, dip in form. But again, the team was changing. So, I feel a bit sorry when people say what he was to what I am in this Arsenal team.
“But if you look at the players he played with and Mikel then got them out of the club and brought in his own. It’s a bit harsh to say he’s doing this, I’m doing that when they were in a transition period.
“Obviously I knew he was struggling a little bit for form, so I just went in there and the best thing they said to me was ‘we don’t see you as a number two, but if you don’t play for the first six-months we still won’t see you as a number two’. So they weren’t going to label it.
“It’s a fair shot. If you’re good enough you’re going to get in, but it still might take a year to get in. Obviously we had a poor start to the season and I managed to get in so much earlier than I thought.”
Ramsdale certainly wasn’t expected to break into the Arsenal side as quickly as he did, despite Leno’s dip in form at the time.
But the Englishman has provided the Gunners with a second string to their bow with his ability to play out from the back.
Leno is also thriving at Fulham since his summer switch and the 30-year-old has played a key role in their surprise strong start to the season.
