Aaron Ramsdale came very close to gifting Brentford a first-half goal (Picture: Getty)
Gary Neville has pointed the finger at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for Aaron Ramsdale’s first-half mistake against Brentford on Saturday.
The goalkeeper came very close to gifting the Bees a goal after taking an age to do anything with the ball under no pressure from a Gabriel Magalhaes backpass.
Ramsdale was closed down and dispossessed by Yoane Wissa, with Bryan Mbeumo’s shot cleared off the line and Wissa putting the rebound wide.
The Arsenal goalkeeping situation has been one of the most talked about stories of this season with Ramsdale losing his No.1 spot to David Raya.
Arsenal signed Raya on loan from Brentford in the summer but with the Spaniard unable to face his parent club, Arteta was forced to throw Ramsdale back into the XI for the clash at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Neville feels that Arteta’s decision to have two goalkeepers competing against each other led to Ramsdale’s error against Thomas Frank’s side.
‘This is what happens when you have [two] keepers eating each other!’ Neville posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘You put them both under pressure.’
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Speaking ahead of the match, Arsenal manager Arteta praised Ramsdale for his attitude after the goalkeeper’s father said his son had ‘lost his smile’ after being dropped.
Ramsdale was stunned by Arsenal’s decision to sign Raya on loan from Brentford in the summer, while it’s understood that the Gunners have already opted to make the deal permanent for £27m next year.
During the recent international break, Ramsdale’s father, Nick, criticised Arteta for his handling of the goalkeeping situation at Arsenal and questioned why his son was offered a new contract in May when the plan was to sign Raya just three months later.
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‘This is what happens!’