ESPN pundit says criticism of £30m Arsenal star made no sense

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It is fair to say that few Arsenal signings have proved to be bigger surprises following their moves to the Emirates than Aaron Ramsdale.

In fact, Shaka Hislop has told ESPN that he does not believe that the Gunners would be where they are now without Aaron Ramsdale.

Arsenal fans could not understand why they were pursuing a deal for the youngster back in 2021. At the time, Bernd Leno was arguably amongst the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Hislop says Arsenal wouldn’t be where they are without Ramsdale

Meanwhile, Ramsdale had just been relegated in consecutive years, with Bournemouth and Sheffield United respectively. And it seemed that Arsenal were about to pay up to £30 million for a backup when there were several problems for Mikel Arteta to address across the squad.

It appeared that the plan was for the 24-year-old to eventually succeed Leno as number one. Surely, even Arteta could not have imagined that Ramsdale would be number one within a few weeks of the season starting.

But Leno swiftly became the best backup in the Premier League. And Ramsdale has gone from strength to strength. Certainly, he seems to be one of the most popular players in a beloved Arsenal side.

And Hislop has heaped praise on the England international, suggesting that he has played a pivotal role in taking Arsenal into the title picture.

“I really couldn’t understand the criticism because he’d been relegated before that. That didn’t make any kind of sense. You’re looking for someone to fit into the style of football that you’re playing. And Arteta quite clearly saw that in Aaron Ramsdale,” he told ESPN.

“As difficult a job as it was at the time, despite the abuse, coming in for somebody like Bernd Leno, with his reputation and his standing within the German national team, it’s a tough ask for Aaron Ramsdale.

“But from the time he stepped foot on the pitch, not just his smile, but his focus, I felt he exuded a real sense of purpose, a sense of focus about how he went about business. He snarled when he needed to snarl. He smiled and laughed with players and fans when that was needed as well. I think it’s wonderful to see a young goalkeeper enjoying the ups and downs of a job, of a very stressful job. And I think he’s been absolutely fantastic.

“I don’t think Arsenal could be where they are without Aaron Ramsdale.”

Of course, there is a reason why people like Mikel Arteta have got to the top of the game. But it did seem that no-one could quite understand what the club was up to when they targeted Ramsdale.

He got better as the campaign went on, but it did not seem that he was initially very good for Sheffield United. It certainly appeared to be a huge step for him to go to the Emirates.

But he has handled that amazingly well. In fact, you would not be entirely surprised if he was a little taken aback himself by how well he has done at Arsenal in such a short space of time.