He forced an exit instead of staying at Arsenal, now he's third choice in the Championship

‘The grass is not always greener on the other side’ is one of the most popular sayings in football.

Many players who left Arsenal over the years have experienced that, which is a shame, as they could’ve been incredibly successful at the Emirates.

One such player in recent years was Aaron Ramsdale, and he now finds himself in a really difficult position.

Aaron Ramsdale is third choice in the Championship after leaving Arsenal

Ramsdale lost his status as Arsenal’s number one goalkeeper to David Raya.

Mikel Arteta faced a lot of backlash for his decision at the time, but everyone in the game will tell you now that he was right.

Ramsdale spent most of the 2023/24 season as the second choice behind Raya, but he was desperate to play and wasn’t prepared to stay as a backup at Arsenal.

That led to an underwhelming move to Southampton in 2024, and in his debut season there as the number one, he suffered relegation.

Then, in the 2025/26 season, Ramsdale was on loan at Newcastle United, and despite flashes of his quality, he didn’t do enough to impress.

The England international has now returned to Southampton, who are still in the Championship, and he is nowhere near the top of the pecking order there.

Saints boss Tonda Eckhert publicly claimed recently that Ramsdale is neither his first choice nor his second, and that he had to play for the U21s to get some minutes under his belt. (Daily Echo)

That is as big a fall from grace as any, as just three years ago, Ramsdale was in the PFA Team of the Season and was viewed by many as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Aaron Ramsdale should’ve stayed at Arsenal

Ramsdale wanted to get out of Arsenal because he lost his place in the side.

The goalkeeper later revealed that he’d rather play regularly than win trophies as a backup, which is why he pushed to leave the Gunners. (BBC)

However, looking back now, we feel Ramsdale should’ve just stayed at Arsenal and competed for the number one role with Raya.

We think he’s better than every backup goalkeeper Arsenal have had since his departure, and he would’ve been held in much higher regard than he is now.