“I’m finished. I can’t do it” – Aaron Ramsdale said he can’t concentrate on a game of football for 90 minutes.
Arsenal fans think they have found the moment Aaron Ramsdale lost his place in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup.
Since replacing Bernd Leno as Arsenal’s number-one goalkeeper under Arteta, Ramsdale has produced a string of impressive performances as the Gunners went on an unexpected Premier League title charge last season.
However, Arteta signed Spanish goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford during the summer transfer window and many felt Ramsdale’s place was under immense threat.
Ramsdale was the first choice at the start of the 23/24 season but the Englishman was dropped against Everton in September.
Since then, the 25-year-old has been stuck on Arsenal’s bench. Gunners fans now think they have found the moment he lost his place in Arteta’s starting lineup.
Speaking to Arsenal legend Ian Wright for the Premier League back in May, Ramsdale said: “If you ask me to concentrate on a game of football for 90 minutes, I’m finished, I can’t do it.
“So that’s why I get involved with the fans and I’ll sing along with the songs.”
Wright’s reaction ‘says it all’ after Ramsdale’s honest admission
Now, footage from an interview Ramsdale did with Wright for the Premier League’s YouTube channel in May has resurfaced. During the interview, Ramsdale revealed he can struggle for concentration throughout a game. He also explained why the goalkeeper interacts with fans.
“If you ask me to concentrate on a game of football for 90 minutes, I’m finished. I can’t do it,” Ramsdale said. “So, that’s why I get involved with the fans and I’ll sing along with the songs.”
He continued: “[If] someone’s giving me abuse, I’ll turn around and I’ll give them a bit back. I have had my two-three minutes of sort of madness in my head, [then] straight back to [the] football. I’ve got 10-15 minutes of pure concentration again.”
