Ramsdale's father criticizes how Arsenal handled his demotion

Nick Ramsdale, the father of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron, has once again publicly discussed his son’s demotion. The Gunners previously purchased Ramsdale from Sheffield United in a $32 million deal. Manager Mikel Arteta quickly made Ramsdale his number-one keeper upon his arrival. The England international played 72 out of a possible 76 Premier League matches in his first two seasons with the club.

Despite his success, which includes being named in the PFA Team of the Year just last season, the Gunners shocked many when they made a move for a new keeper this summer. Arteta signed Brentford keeper David Raya in August on an initial loan that is expected to become permanent. Arteta eventually benched Ramsdale in favor of Raya in September.

The decision has put Ramsdale under the microscope by the British media. For weeks TV cameras quickly panned to the English keeper every time Raya made a save. Jamie Carragher ridiculously ridiculed Ramsdale for cheering on his teammate after Raya made a quality save against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Nick Ramsdale previously took to social media to respond to Carragher’s comments. Aaron Ramsdale then addressed the public feud between his father and former Liverpool defender in October. The goalkeeper claimed that his dad’s remarks at the time were not “helpful for the situation.”

Ramsdale father admits to not being able to remain silent on issue

However, Nick Ramsdale has now done a full interview to discuss his son losing his place in the Arsenal team. The keeper’s father claimed that the England international will now only feature in cup competitions this season. He also ridiculed Arteta’s handling of the situation.

The interview started with the interviewers asking Ramsdale’s father how difficult it is to keep quiet about the situation. “Well, I don’t really keep my mouth shut, do I? That’s my problem,” Nick Ramsdale told The Highbury Squad podcast.

Ramsdale’s father admitted people asked him not to talk about his son’s demotion on social media or other platforms. Nevertheless, Nick continued to claim no one in the family was aware of his son’s impending replacement.

“I didn’t have a clue, our family didn’t have a clue, Aaron didn’t have a clue that he was not going to carry on playing,” continued Nick Ramsdale. “All of a sudden, he’s not been played.”

“You just have to look at it personally and I’m probably saying too much but, Aaron is going to be the cup goalkeeper and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending-off.”

Goalkeeper has ‘lost that smile’ while on the bench

The interview continued with Nick saying that Arteta made the wrong call and that his son is going through a difficult time. “Aaron’s got to live with that and he is living with that even though he’s not been told it,” stated the goalkeeper’s dad. “Even though the way it’s been done, in my eyes, it’s been wrong, and we can talk about that but it’s the decision.”

“Aaron’s lost that smile too when he was holding onto that ball at this moment in time. And it is difficult. It really is difficult to see him there and we all keep saying you need to keep smiling.”

Aaron Ramsdale has featured just twice for Arsenal since his demotion in September. Both of these games were in the Carabao Cup. Traditionally, backup goalkeepers play in that competition. Meanwhile, the starters rest. Ramsdale collected a clean sheet in his initial return to the team against Brentford. However, the Gunners then suffered a 3-1 defeat away to West Ham in Ramsdale’s latest starting appearance.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.