‘Better signing’: Micah Richards claims Arsenal should have signed £20m keeper instead of Ramsdale

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Micah Richards has told BBC Radio Five Live that Arsenal should have signed Sam Johnstone and not Aaron Ramsdale.

Better option?

Arsenal spent big money to snap up Ramsdale from Sheffield United this summer, after being impressed by his performances last term.

Mikel Arteta apparently pushed to sign the goalkeeper, who was part of England’s Euro 2020 squad this summer.

However, Richards feels that Arsenal have made a mistake by going for Ramsdale.

He feels that Johnstone, who was available for £20 million (Telegraph), would have been a better choice for the short-term, as the West Brom keeper is more capable of stepping up and making an impact straight away.

He said: “It’s almost like everyone has gone forward and they have just stayed still, all while trying to control their finances.

“They have gone out and spent £132 million.

“No disrespect but Ramsdale has had three relegations in his career.

“Sam Johnstone is there, who is at West Brom, and I’m not trying to sell any player. He’s ready right now.

“I’d have thought that would have been a better signing for Arsenal, but they’re signing for the future.

“It’s almost like they have conceded that it’s going to be very difficult to get world class players, so let’s just get young talent.

“And unfortunately buying young talent is going to lose Arteta his job, because he’s not going to be able to do the business right now.”

Arsenal’s argument

Arsenal will claim that Ramsdale has a higher ceiling than Johnstone, and that is why they made him their top choice.

There is also an argument to suggest that Arsenal don’t actually desperately need a new number one as Bernd Leno is perfectly capable for the time being.

However, spending such big money on Ramsdale, who has effectively joined to be a back-up goalkeeper initially, does seem a lavish purchase.

And there are question marks over whether Arsenal could have invested the money better, given the areas of their squad which desperately need improvement.