Pundit Mark Schwarzer has now criticised Mikel Arteta for how he has handled Aaron Ramsdale’s recent dropping at Arsenal.
Schwarzer was speaking on ‘The Optus Sport Football Podcast’ and said that Arteta should have pulled Ramsdale aside at Arsenal.
The pundit was very surprised to hear that Ramsdale hadn’t received clarity on his situation, and thought that honesty was the best policy.
Schwarzer said: “I would hope that Arteta had said something to Aaron Ramsdale, but it doesn’t look like he has.
“And obviously his father’s come out and said he didn’t know anything about it and he hasn’t spoken to him about it, and that’s really poor management.
“I’m actually surprised with Arteta because I would have thought that would have pulled him aside.
“And they’re the conversations as players you want to have with a manager. As much as you don’t like it, I would rather the manager was completely honest with me.”
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Of course, Mikel Arteta would protest that Ramsdale hasn’t been dropped for David Raya at the club.
Despite a run of starts for Raya, the manager will insist they are competing for the number one role.
Schwarzer thinks Arteta has handled Ramsdale’s situation poorly at Arsenal
It’s certainly a tough situation for all involved at Arsenal.
Although criticised for not providing clarity in the fight between his two keepers, Arteta couldn’t simply declare Ramsdale dropped.
Not only would it hurt the keeper’s confidence and his chances for England, it would then affect Arsenal’s valuation if they ever planned to sell.
However, Schwarzer clearly feels that Arteta owes Ramsdale honesty on a personal level at Arsenal, conversations fans won’t be privy to.
Of course, there’s bound to be a ton of speculation over the situation heading into January, and then even more in the summer.
Although it would appear that Arsenal do have some more pressing issues at hand.
Jorginho’s contract is still set to expire in the summer, a situation that has now reached something of a stalemate.
And it would also seem as if Arsenal are going to target an additional central midfielder in the near future.