REUTERS/David Klein
It started so well for Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal. He arrived in 2021 from Sheffield United and quickly took Bernd Leno's spot in the starting XI. By the end of his second season, he'd even been named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.
From this point, however, his career would take a turn for the worse. Mikel Arteta would drop the Englishman for David Raya in September 2023. Ramsdale would spend most of the campaign on the bench and was then sold to Southampton the following summer.
Three years on from being dropped, the 28-year-old's career has not progressed as many would have expected. A new update on the goalkeeper has highlighted his struggles.
GoalKeepers
Ramsdale Now Fourth Choice at Southampton
Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale
Ramsdale was given the chance to reestablish himself at Southampton but could not help the side avoid relegation in 2024/25, conceding 66 goals in 30 games and keeping just three clean sheets. He was then loaned out to Newcastle United last season as he aimed to take the number one jersey from Nick Pope.
The former Arsenal man played 23 games in total, with 12 starts in the league, as it looked as though he might become Eddie Howe's first choice. However, his form fluctuated and he failed to ever hold onto a starting role with the Magpies.
At the end of his loan, he returned to Southampton as Newcastle signed Lukas Hornicek to become the club's number one instead. Now back with the Saints, Ramsdale is yet to play a game in 2026/27.
Not only is he not the first choice, but he's not even the back-up, or back-up to the back-up. Indeed, in some damning quotes, manager Tonda Eckert has confirmed that the Englishman is now the fourth-choice goalkeeper at St Mary's.
He told BBC Sport that the player's new role is to support the team: "The reality is that Rambo's story at the football club has started before I came in.
"We've had honest conversations from the very first day of pre-season to the last day of the transfer window and he's still a part of the group. The expectations for him are clear to support the team in the best way and he's been very professional in doing that so far.
"Let's see what happens. Aaron also became a father for the second time a couple of days ago, my expectation is that he is a Southampton player."
Ramsdale Opened up on Relationship with Mikel Arteta
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale
To go from the PFA Team of the Year to a fourth-choice option at a Championship club is quite the fall from grace. Still only 28, Ramsdale even played for England as recently as 2024 and was on the bench for the Euros that summer, with many backing him to one day replace Jordan Pickford.
Now, he finds himself behind Daniel Peretz, George Long, and Jamie Jones in the goalkeeper pecking order at Southampton. Despite his struggles, the former Arsenal shot-stopper has not publicly seemed bitter about his past.
In 2024, he refused to criticise Arteta's decision to drop him, telling TalkSport: "What he did for me in my time at Arsenal, I can only thank him for and he thanked me for my contribution as well.
"As a football club, getting back into the Champions League and pushing for a trophy and ultimately, as managers do, they often make decisions that upset people. He made that decision, but we still speak."
One positive for the player is that goalkeepers often peak later on in their careers. With that in mind, Ramsdale could yet reach some of the potential he first showed at the Emirates, but he needs to find a club that will trust him to play first.