Aaron Ramsdale must be feeling disappointed watching Chelsea and West Ham vying for a relegated keeper but not him.
Within a span of ten months, Aaron Ramsdale has gone from holding an Arsenal number two tag to falling below Chelsea's number two, which is a sad decline. Now, a fair few sections of his previous Arsenal fans will put the blame on Southampton for the 27-year-old's fading reputation which is only partially correct.
The reason is that dropping down from the Premier League isn't the sole argument for clubs to turn down Ramsdale.
A good example is the recent report from Daily Mail, suggesting that Ramsdale's relegated £5m Leicester counterpart Mads Hermansen is on the signing radar of Chelsea and West Ham. Plus, the interesting part is that the same London duo dismissed their Ramsdale desire only around a couple of weeks ago.
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For the Southampton fanbase, picking an inexperienced Premier League shot-stopper having no international appearances over an established household name won't make enough sense.
Further, it could be that Chelsea and West Ham have long given up on acquiring players from their neighbours and don't view Ramsdale as highly enticing to bother deviating from that strategy. Regardless, the bottom line is the Saints can't force those two or any rival outfit against recruiting other players.
Hence, the Saints fan favourite might have to start taking a leaf out of Kyle Walker-Peters' book to push himself up for a Premier League role. Even if some lower mid-table clubs get tempted by Ramsdale's signature, then it's a win-win for the 27-year-old.
Finally, a London escape route may still come calling for Ramsdale during mid-season should any of those squads struggle for consistency and the latter hits the ground running wherever he plays.