Arsenal icon Jens Lehmann has admitted he never understood why Mikel Arteta dumped Aaron Ramsdale in favor of Brentford loanee David Raya. He also spoke about the Gunners’ Premier League ambitions and advised them to be bolder to win the league and the UEFA Champions League.
Jens Lehmann believes the swap between Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya was unnecessary
Arsenal manager Arteta made a bold and controversial decision in the summer to sign Brentford goalkeeper Raya on loan. Ramsdale, who had been the team’s first-choice goalkeeper until then, eventually vacated the spot and the Spaniard replaced him in Premier League and UEFA Champions League games.
Former goalkeeper Lehmann has criticized Arteta’s decision, saying he never understood why Arteta left Ramsdale out of the starting XI.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Lehmann said:
“I never understood the Ramsdale decision. If you have a good, brave English goalkeeper at a big English club who is doing well, and then you sign a Spaniard who has never played for a big club at that level, it just doesn’t make sense.
“The goalkeeper is the most important position in the team. If I were Ramsdale I don’t know how I would react because it’s not easy at that age. When you’re older it’s different.”
Ramsdale has only played 11 games for the Gunners this season. Raya has now featured in 38 games for the club across all competitions.
Lehmann believes Arsenal need to be bolder to win major awards
After giving his frank view of the goalkeeping situation at the Emirates Stadium, Lehmann – the goalkeeper for Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ 2003/04 Premier League side – spoke about his old clubs’ hopes of winning major trophies. He praised Arteta for his performance so far but urged him and his men to be a little braver.
Lehmann continued:
“He’s done a good job but unfortunately you’re talking to a man who loves Arsenal and wants them to win and not just be up there. I was very disappointed with how they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League [quarter-finals].
“Afterwards they showed a great reaction by beating Chelsea and Tottenham. But to be a big club you have to win trophies. They are completely different than us [the Invincibles] in their approach – much more cautious and slower with the ball. Physically they run a lot more and have more high intensity runs, but they don’t play faster than us because we were a one-touch team. They all require three or four touches at the same time. And if you’re too careful in football, you can’t win trophies.”
Finally he added:
“Most of the time the bravest teams win the league. I would be happy if they won the title, but it cost them in some games.
“It’s been 20 years since we won the league and I hope Arsenal win, but it’s no longer in their own hands and that’s a weakness.”
Provisional Premier League leaders Arsenal will return to action on May 4 against Bournemouth. City need to drop at least a few points in their remaining four games to end their title drought.