‘We loved him a lot’ – Arteta ahead of Ramsdale’s return to the Emirates | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta praised the impact Aaron Ramsdale had on Arsenal as the Gunners’ former keeper is set to return to the Emirates.

During Ramsdale’s three years with the club, he was a key part of the side who finished runners-up in the league in the 2022/23 season, but David Raya soon became Arteta’s first choice goalkeeper when he was brought in on loan from Brentford in August 2023.

Raya’s success resulted in a permanent move over the summer, and subsequently Ramsdale signed a contract with Southampton in August of this year, and the Saints play Arsenal on Saturday.

Arteta said: “I called him [Ramsdale] straight away after I got the news [that he was leaving]. He was really happy.

“He’s a player that we loved a lot, very charismatic and he really put his fingerprints here at the club in the way that he was. It will be very good to see him.

“Personally, I am grateful for what he did. When we signed him there was a lot of noise around him. We helped to create the environment he needed because we believed in his potential. He showed it and won the respect and admiration of all of us.

“And then the circumstances changed because this is elite sport and can happen. Then it was difficult to deal with that situation in a natural way and we decided to part ways. Hopefully he is grateful as well.”

Arteta also gave injury updates on Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu, saying they are close to returning to the squad.

He hopes Oleksandr Zinchenko will be back to fitness after the international break, while there are still question marks around Martin Odegaard’s return, with Arteta continuing to adapt the team in the absence of his captain.

“Martin is very difficult,” Arteta added. “I expected still with the boot and a lot of things but he’s working so hard and he’s feeling good and he’s pushing it. So difficult to give a timeline.

“The impact that Martin has in everything we do is too big to try to replicate it with one player. We tried to do it in a different way by adapting a few things and playing on players’ qualities, players who can play in spaces and positions with the right chemistry around them.

“Maybe it took a game or two before everything started to flow a bit better, but I think we have found a way. But we still miss him (Martin) a lot as he is one of the most important players for us.”

Featured image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images via OneFootball