In the summer of 2019, Aaron Ramsdale returned to his parent club having impressed on loan at first Chesterfield and then AFC Wimbledon in League One. Despite an impressive season, few thought he would make such an impact over the summer for Eddie Howe’s side.
He did so well in pre-season that he ousted Premier League winner Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc, and took the number one spot for the Cherries’ Premier League campaign. This weekend, he will return to the Vitality Stadium with Arsenal, having continuously proved critics wrong who believed he would never make it to the very top of the English game.
Of course, that Bournemouth campaign ended in despair, as Howe and Ramsdale left the club following relegation to the Championship, but despite the short stint as number one, Bournemouth still holds a place in the England goalkeeper’s heart.
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“Always,” he told the Daily Echo. “Sheffield and Bournemouth. Sheffield for getting me on the footballing area as you would say and Bournemouth for giving me that one chance to get into the Premier League.”
“I can’t wait to play at the Vitality again,” he added. “I had an unbelievable attachment to the fans and I still do.
“I came back to a game last season and I had pictures galore, people saying hello and my mum and dad still come down and watch games every now and then. It’s going to be a great day. For 90 minutes, we are a little bit enemies but after that we are going to be great friends again and it’s something I can’t wait for.”
But Ramsdale is returning as a far stronger goalkeeper than he was when he left. He is two years older, has dealt with the scars of another relegation and coped magnificently with a big money move to Arsenal. The Sheffield United season was a tough one to swallow.
He returned to the Steel City for £18m but failed, along with the rest of the squad, to live up to the heights they had set for themselves in the previous campaign. Dean Henderson had shone on loan from Manchester United and Ramsdale was meant to be an exciting permanent capture, but the Blades were woeful, and finished bottom of the table.
Given his age, nationality and promise, many thought Ramsdale would stay in the Premier League, but few predicted a move to Arsenal. Many thought Mikel Arteta and the Gunners were crazy to bring in a goalkeeper that had suffered back-to-back relegations and yet, it is a move that has worked out.
He quickly established himself as the outright number one at the club and his new manager quickly learnt that Ramsdale was capable with the ball at his feet, something that had been missing at the club. As part of the youngest squad in the Premier League, this move also forced Ramsdale to find his voice and organise his defence - another area of his game that has drastically improved.
Perhaps he was helped by the low expectations, but Arsenal fans have learnt to love a goalkeeper who still has so much room for improvement. He should be involved in England’s World Cup squad, and for many he is in contention to be number one, although Jordan Pickford’s tournament performances have been nothing short of exceptional.
He won’t displace Pickford for the tournament in Qatar, but the long term battle to play for the Three Lions looks likely to be between the Everton man, Ramsdale and former Sheffield United loanee Henderson. The one advantage Ramsdale has over his England competitors is that he is currently playing European football and for a better team than the other two. Arsenal’s system of playing out from the back also seems to translate to the national team the best.
His performance against Hungary was a shocker, but Ramsdale has long-term England ambitions that can be realised. At Arsenal, he’s become an integral part of the side, and on the south coast this weekend, he will be reminded of just how far he has come.
