Southampton couldn't keep a clean sheet in their first two matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest which led them to consider signing a new goalkeeper to provide more competition and quality to their defence. Therefore, in the final week of the summer transfer window, the Saints reached an agreement with Arsenal to sign 26-year-old goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for a transfer fee of around £25 million. While this was an ambitious move from Southampton, several Premier League fans and analysts were wondering why Ramsdale decided to leave Arsenal, who are a Premier League title contender alongside Manchester City, to join a club that is aiming to avoid relegation this season.
A few seasons ago, Ramsdale became one of the best young goalkeepers in the Premier League with his incredible debut season at Arsenal. In the 2022/23 season, Ramsdale put in a brilliant performance again, but Arsenal conceded a lot of goals towards the end of the season and couldn't win the Premier League. Therefore, Mikel Arteta's side brought in David Raya, who kept a lot of clean sheets throughout the season, which reduced Ramsdale's playing time.
Aaron Ramsdale opens up on joining Southampton in the transfer window
Now after arriving at the St. Mary's Stadium, Ramsdale opened up on his decision to join Southampton, saying,
"I've been around football long enough that the manager’s decision is the manager’s decision.Aaron Ramsdale
It was tough but I’ve found a new home and I’m looking forward to playing again. You move on, there’s no bad blood and you’ve got to restart your career again."
Now, the 26-year-old keeper is looking forward to his first Southampton home fixture which is a massive game against Manchester United. Russell Martin's side are aiming to take some points from this match, and for that Ramsdale needs to put in an impressive performance to help Southampton keep a clean sheet in this game. Moreover, a few lineup changes are expected and it remains to be seen whether Southampton implement a different tactical setup in this match.