Aaron Ramsdale’s unwanted record could get worse as Sunderland offer £25m star a Premier League lifeline

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Sunderland are interested in signing Aaron Ramsdale from Southampton, as they set about attempting to survive in the Premier League.

The Black Cats have already made quite the impression in the transfer market, with big money deals completed for the likes of Habib Diarra and Simon Adingra. The former is now their record signing, with Sunderland paying £30million for Diarra.

Regis Le Bris is also eager to bring in a new goalkeeper, and TBR Football understands that Aaron Ramsdale is a Sunderland target.

Southampton are willing to sell him for £25million, with Ramsdale believed to be open to a move to Wearside.

West Ham are also interested in Ramsdale, but it is Sunderland who are signalling their intent.

Aaron Ramsdale’s relegation record as Sunderland eye new goalkeeper

Ramsdale would add much-needed Premier League experience to this Sunderland squad, but he would also bring an unwanted record.

The 27-year-old has played for four different Premier League clubs, suffering relegation with three of them. He first dropped into the Championship with Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season, then he suffered the same fate with Sheffield United 12 months later after joining the Blades for £18.5million.

His most recent relegation came just a few months ago, with Ramsdale unable to stop Southampton from immediately returning to the second tier of English football. The England international was part of one of the Premier League’s worst-ever sides, with Southampton only picking up 12 points all season.

The only Premier League club that Ramsdale has played for where he has not experienced relegation is Arsenal. He spent two years as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice stopper before being replaced by David Raya.

Incredibly, the shot-stopper has one more relegation on his CV. That came in the 2018/19 season when Ramsdale spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Chesterfield in League Two. He made 19 appearances, but could not prevent them from dropping out of the Football League.

History is against Sunderland as they aim to survive in the Premier League

Four relegations in his career does not reflect well on Ramsdale, but it says more about the teams he has played for than his ability as a goalkeeper.

If they do strike a deal with Southampton, Sunderland will hope they do not follow suit and hand Ramsdale a fifth relegation. That is the task that Le Bris is presented with, as he aims to ensure that his side do not immediately return to the Championship.

They will have to buck the trend to do that, with the promoted sides seriously struggling in the top flight in recent years. For the past two seasons, the three teams promoted from the Championship to the Premier League have immediately gone down again.

The performances of Southampton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town sum up the seismic gap between the first and second tier. Sunderland are doing their best to close that gap by flexing their muscles in the transfer market, with their business so far making rivals stand up and take notice.

If Sunderland get their wish, Ramsdale could be their next recruit.