Selling Aaron Ramsdale was never going to be easy.
The £40m asking price we have on his head would make him the 4th most expensive goalkeeper of all time – Andre Onana, Alisson Becker and Kepa Arrizabalaga the only 3 men to have cost more.
It is not that Ramsdale is not worth that amount. He is. It is more that the teams that would spunk £40m on a new keeper are not in the market for one.
Back in November, we discussed who Ramsdale’s next club could be. It was clear back then that there would be headaches for all parties.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Aston Villa all have established number ones and Ramsdale will not be looking to move somewhere to be second choice.
That then puts you in the mid-table area of Newcastle, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Wolves and Chelsea.
Newcastle always felt like a good fit for Ramsdale, but they have recently signed Odysseas Vlachodmios from Nottingham Forest and John Ruddy from Birmingham. The only way Eamsdale now joins it if Nick Pope departs.
As for the others beyond the Big 6, I can not see them splashing £40m on a goalkeeper.
For most Premier League teams, £40m is the max they look to spend on a single player. And those clubs that do have that much money on their back pocket will more likely spend it on an attacking player than a goalkeeper.
I would also question whether Ramsdale is a £40m improvement on Areola, Jose Sa or Sam Johnstone. And he certainly is not an upgrade on Jordan Pickford. So we are now between a rock and a hard place.
The clubs that can afford Ramsdale are not in the position to buy a keeper, and those clubs who he would improve are unlikely to spend big on a keeper.
“We need to lower the asking price” will then be the view of many. But Arsenal hold a lot of the cards in this transfer.
For a start, Mikel Arteta likes Ramsdale. He is cleary happy for the Englishman to remain at Arsenal as cover and competition for David Raya. We are in no rush to sell him.
And one big reason we are in no rush is due to the contract Ramsdale signed last year. That deal takes him through to 2026, which is basically 2027 as we have an option to extend for a year. With 3-years left on his deal, we can take our time waiting for the correct deal to come in.
Ramsdale could play up and push for a deal, but he does not seem that character. He will also now realise that if he wants to be guaranteed first choice, he would probably have to go to somewhere like Brentford or Brighton. Not exactly the bright lights of the Emirates are they! And both of those clubs would only be interested if they could get him cut price.
One option could be a loan deal.
As it stands, we have around £8m left in amortisation costs for Ramsdale’s transfer from Sheffield United. He is currently costing us £4m a year plus wages.
For this season, we might consider loaning him out with a £4m loan fee and 100% of his wages paid. That would mean that Ramsdale would it us a penny for the next 12 months, and we can still cash in on him next season.
Suddenly getting a keeper of Ramsdale’s quality for just £4m looks like a bargain, even if it is just for one season. There will be a scramble for him and Arsenal might even be able to get more than that!
The second option is Ramsdale stays for another year. That he accepts he is better off being 2nd choice at a big club like Arsenal than a starter playing for a team lower down the table.
Whilst this might lose him his place on the England squad under a new manager, it would mean that he doesn’t need to upheave his life having just become a father for the first time. And the option will still be there in a year to depart and regain his England place for the next World Cup.
The last option, and it is an outside bet, is that Arsenal use Ramsdale as a chip in any bid for Ivan Toney.
Outside of the £40m cost, Ramsdale and Brentford do feel like a good fit. The Bees just can’t afford him.
I can certainly see a scenario where Brentford buy Ramsdale for £40m, and we buy Ivan Toney for £60m. This sort of deal would get both teams players they want, and enable them to spread the fee out over their next 5-year accounts.
We then spend £20m on second choice keeper, which would basically mean that we get Toney and a back-up goalie for a net £40m. That does not feel like bad business.
My gut is we will loan Ramsdale out for the season.
Expect it to be for £4m fee, with an option to buy for £30-35m.
Enjoy your sunny Thursday.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
need an editor?
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Totally agree with this article and i would like to add that David Seaman became Arsenal and England #1 when he was 28. Ramsdale could still achieve that if he works on his crosses and distribution.
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Come back to Bournemouth
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I just can’t see him not causing an issue if Arsenal don’t give him the move. I think if Arteta had handled it a bit better he’d be more likely to do another season but he really did get mugged off, all be it receiving a nice pay rise!
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Outside of a sentimental I don’t think there’s really an argument that he’s worth 40 Mill. I mean he clearly lost his position and isn’t an elite keeper in any specfic area, and he’s not a sweeper keeper which is what most top sides look for. Are the midtable clubs willing to make him their record transfer fee, probably not.
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Outside of sentimental reasons*
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