Jamie O’Hara has hit out at Mikel Arteta for knocking the confidence of Aaron Ramsdale after the Arsenal goalkeeper’s display in the Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham on Wednesday night.
O’Hara was speaking to talkSPORT after the Gunners were beaten 3-1 by the Hammers at the London Stadium in what proved to be a miserable night for Mikel Arteta‘s side.
Aaron Ramsdale was one of the players who came into the starting lineup for the tie. His only two appearances for Arsenal over the last two months have come in the Carabao Cup after he lost his place as number one to David Raya.
Jamie O’Hara slams Mikel Arteta over treatment of Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale could have done little about the goals. However, the 25-year-old failed to send a message to Arteta with his display. His distribution was not the best. And it did appear that Ramsdale was quite rusty by his usual standards.
Of course, Arsenal fans know all too well how good Ramsdale can be. And with that, Jamie O’Hara has criticised Arteta for the decision to sign Raya considering that he cannot see a great deal of difference between the two goalkeepers.
“Aaron Ramsdale, they’ve really knocked his confidence. He did look nervous tonight,” he told talkSPORT.
“I thought he fouled him. I thought for the first goal, I thought he got fouled. And Ben White should deal with it. So that goal shouldn’t go in.
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“But the one that’s ricocheted and it’s come up and it’s hit him and he’s palmed it in, that’s just a lack of confidence I think. Before, I think he had a belief where you were not scoring against me. You’re not going to get a goal. You could see it, pumped up last season, because he knew he was the number one. He knew he was the main man.
“Now David Raya’s come in and he’s losing his confidence, he’s going back into his shell. And I think it’s poor what Arteta’s done to him because I don’t think David Raya’s a lot better than him, even better than him at all. I think what you’ve got now is a second-choice keeper in Aaron Ramsdale who’s lost his confidence.”
Writing may now be on the wall for England star
The writing does appear to be on the wall for Ramsdale at Arsenal. Raya has not really played well since coming into the Arsenal side. And yet, Arteta has shown no desire to drop him.
Ramsdale meanwhile, cannot build any kind of momentum when he is barely playing. And those minutes are going to be even less frequent now they are out of the Carabao Cup.
Ramsdale should not want to sit on the bench. He is too good to be a backup, particularly if Arteta is not going to be willing to make a change at any stage.
It is unfair on the England international. Ramsdale signed his new contract at Arsenal right before the end of last season. So Arteta would have already been having thoughts about signing a new goalkeeper.
Perhaps this is naive, but Ramsdale was surely entitled to be told that his position as number one was under threat before he penned that new contract.
Now, it is going to be incredibly difficult for another team to get him away from the Emirates.