Mikel Arteta happy with the impact and development of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale

Ramsdale will once again take his place between the sticks when Arsenal travel to East London.

Mikel Arteta has hailed the impact and development of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale ahead of the London derby showdown against West Ham United.

Ramsdale joined the North London club in the summer of 2021 and wasted no time establishing himself as the first-choice goalkeeper.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s crunch clash against their relegation-battling local rivals, Arteta hailed Ramsdale’s rise to prominence, labelling it ‘against the odds’ with the goalkeeper now a central figure for the Gunners.

“He has been really, really good and probably against the odds,” Arteta told the Guardian. “Because when you look at his past and where he was coming from, he got relegated twice, it was difficult to imagine it.

“But we saw he had that character, charisma, and personality to play for our club, and he had the potential qualities to feed into our way of playing. When you see the development he had in the past two seasons, I think he is exceptional.”

The Englishman has been one of the standout performers in Arsenal’s title-chasing season keeping 12 clean sheets in 30 appearances this term.

“That abuse was happening just before he played his first game,” Arteta added. “You haven’t even played and you’re getting that abuse.

“So you need to separate that, understand where it’s coming from, and now start to do your job. It was tough – he needed some support, and we had to protect him, but he was ready to handle that.”

The 24-year-old shot-stopper will once again take his place between the sticks when Arsenal travel to East London at the weekend, looking to consolidate their place at the Premier League summit.

See More: