Mikel Arteta has warned Aaron Ramsdale no discussions about his future at Arsenal will happen until the end of the season.
The England international lost his position as the main goalkeeper for Arsenal just five games into this season, even though he seemed to have done little wrong.
Summer signing David Raya started uncertainly at Arsenal but has been playing a more significant role recently, with Arteta’s team currently in good form.
But Raya, because of the terms of his loan from Brentford, is not allowed to play against his original club tomorrow. If Arsenal win, they would temporarily return to the top of the Premier League.
Ramsdale’s last game in the top division was in a 1-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium in November, where he understandably looked nervous.
Arteta, however, still has complete trust in the 25-year-old, who is said to be attracting interest from clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle United.
For now, Arteta has encouraged the former Sheffield United goalkeeper to concentrate on helping Arsenal achieve success before dealing with his long-term future in the summer.
‘Now is the season, now is tomorrow, now is what we have done today and how can we improve tomorrow,’ Arteta said. ‘And those discussions will happen much later, I believe.’
Regarding the decision to take a risk and replace Bernd Leno with Ramsdale in the summer of 2021, he added: “The personal connection played a significant role and I’m very happy that we, as a club, decided to sign him.
Meanwhile, Arteta expressed his pleasure at receiving the Premier League’s manager of the month award for February.
The Arsenal manager guided his team to five consecutive league victories last month. He attributed the success to the collective effort of his players and staff during a productive period in north London.
He remarked: ‘It's a great honor in this league to receive this sort of recognition, so I want to thank the team and the staff for their constant support in making this happen.’
