Arsenal hero Jens Lehmann says he has ‘never ever understood’ Mikel Arteta’s decision to replace Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya at the start ofthe season.
Ramsdale, 25, completed a £30million switch from Sheffield United to Arsenal in 2021 and seemingly nailed down his place as the club’s number one goalkeeper, making 78 appearances across his two opening seasons under Arteta.
However, eyebrows were raised last summer as the Gunners wrapped up a season-long loan deal for Brentford shot-stopper Raya, 28, and the Spaniard has since taken over the reins as Arteta’s first-choice ‘keeper.
A series of high-profile errors saw Raya come under intense scrutiny in what was a shaky start to his Arsenal career, with many supporters questioning Ramsdale’s lack of playing time in the Premier League.
And while Raya had appeared to have found his feet in recent weeks, an inexplicable mistake in Arsenal’s win at Tottenham ensured the debate has risen to the surface again and Lehmann – one of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles – is still baffled by Arteta’s thinking.
‘I never ever understood the Ramsdale decision,’ the former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper told The Daily Mail.
‘If you have a good, brave English keeper at a big English club doing well and then you bring in a Spanish guy who has never played for a big club at that level – it just doesn’t make sense.
‘The ‘keeper 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.’
While Lehmann is adamant Arteta has done a ‘good job’ at Arsenal, he believes his former side need to start winning trophies on a consistent basis if they are to be considered a ‘big club’.
‘He’s done a good job but unfortunately, you’re talking to a guy who loves Arsenal, wants them to win and not just to be up there. I was very disappointed with how they lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League,’ he added.
‘Afterwards, they showed a great reaction beating Chelsea and Tottenham. But to be a big club, you have to win trophies.’
According to Lehmann, the current Arsenal team are far more ‘cautious’ than the Invincibles and must be ‘braver’ to ensure they are able to challenge for silverware in both the Premier League and in Europe year after year.
‘They’re very different to us [the Invincibles] in their approach – much more cautious and slower with the ball,’ he continued.
‘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 take three, four touches at a time. And if you’re too cautious in football, you can’t win trophies.
‘Most of the time, the bravest teams win the league. I would love them to win the title but that has cost them in certain games.
‘It’s 20 years since we won the league and I hope Arsenal win but it’s not in their own hands anymore and that’s a weakness.’
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