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Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to discuss who should be the club's number one goalkeeper between Aaron Ramsdale and Bernd Leno.
Manager Mikel Arteta chose Ramsdale to be his first-choice shot stopper throughout the campaign. The 24-year-old made 37 appearances in all competitions in his debut season at the Emirates Stadium following his move from Sheffield United. He kept 14 clean sheets in the process.
Ramsdale's excellent start to the season led to him making his England debut during their 10-0 victory over San Marino in November 2021. However, his form dipped towards the end of the term, with many fans believing his concentration levels were not good enough.
The former Bournemouth keeper, who has been relegated twice in his career, was brought in to replace Leno. The German has made 117 appearances for Arsenal since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018.
However, the 30-year-old only made eight more appearances across the campaign in the 2021-22 season. This would not have pleased the Germany international ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year.
Twitter user @aliladiere posted the opinion that they prefer Leno over Ramsdale to start for the Gunners. This then sparked debate on the social media site among other supporters of the north London club.
Here are some of the best reactions to the initial tweet:
Aaron Ramsdale reveals who he would like to be next Arsenal captain
The Gunners captaincy appears to have been some sort of poison chalice in recent years. Since former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's contract was terminated in January, the captaincy has become a point of discussion for Arsenal.
Alexandre Lacazette, who has possessed the armband since the Gabonese forward, looks set to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer when his contract expires. Kieran Tierney was the deputy to Lacazette but the left-back had to suffer a season-ending injury. Post that, Arteta chose midfielder Martin Odegaard to captain the side.
Speaking to legendary Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman on his podcast Seaman Says (via The Mirror), Ramsdale agreed with Arteta's decision. He said:
"As much as in interviews I’ve joked about Martin, he was at Real Madrid at 16-17, he’s seen all the best players in the world, he’s the captain of his country and for a 23-year-old, he has literally done everything you can in a short amount of time."
He added:
"He’s a very calming individual, he might not be the most vocal but you don’t always need your captain to be the most vocal because you could have three or four other leaders who are vocal. You could have two or three leaders who are vocal who perform - for him, he’s relished at the chance of wearing the armband. I have no problems with him being our captain."
