Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman urges Chelsea to avoid signing in-demand Arsenal keeper
Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman believes Chelsea should avoid pursuing an “extortionate” deal for Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the January transfer window.
Robert Sanchez arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer but Edouard Mendy was sold while Kepa Arrizabalaga went on loan to Real Madrid. Recently, the Blues have been linked with a move for Ramsdale after David Raya’s emergence as Mikel Arteta’s No. 1. But McManaman argues the costs would be prohibitive.
In an interview with BetFred (h/t football.london), McManaman spoke about how he believes Ramsdale won’t be happy with the Gunners’ manager Mikel Arteta’s treatment of him and how Chelsea would have a hard time signing the talented keeper owing to competition from others.
“Mikel Arteta clearly wants quality in reserve, so I will be very surprised if he allows Aaron to leave the club, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Arsenal have already been contacted by other clubs that are interested in his signature because Aaron wants to play every single week and he wants to play for England with Euro 2024 on the horizon...
“I don’t believe that Arsenal would allow him to go to Chelsea unless they offered them an extortionate amount of money, which is something they’ve done with multiple players they’ve signed in recent times.”
“If you’re Aaron, you probably wouldn’t want to go anywhere near Chelsea at this moment in time because you don’t know what you’re going to get. He’s probably best just staying where he is now, letting everything calm down, biding his time and then he can re-evaluate the situation in a month or two once he’s had the chance to talk with Gareth Southgate.”
McManaman doubts Arsenal would allow Ramsdale to join a direct rival like Chelsea unless “they offered them an extortionate amount of money.”
Chelsea’s keeper situation is unsettled after summer exits for Kepa and Mendy. But McManaman believes paying huge fees for Ramsdale makes little sense after acquiring Robert Sanchez already.
With Arsenal aiming to keep Ramsdale as depth, prising him away mid-season would require massive sums. McManaman feels Chelsea must avoid overspending simply to poach a frustrated backup keeper.
Chelsea should check Panic Spending
Ever since Todd Boehlly and Clearlake Capital took over as owners last year, spending exorbitant amounts of money has become the norm for Chelsea. The Blues keep throwing money at their problems as if every possible problem’s solution can be solved by money alone.
McManaman criticised this approach urging Chelsea to not indulge in such a disruptive, exorbitant transfer when Sanchez just arrived this summer with a £25m price tag.
Since last year the Blues have spent $1.1bn in signing new players in a quest to rebuild the club. They signed many young players with the hopes of building them up into world-class talents with the long-term goal in mind. However, in the short term, these young bloods have failed to deliver positive results.
Chelsea have scored once in their last 4 games and are currently 14th in the Premier League standings.
So while seeking upgrades, Pochettino cannot repeat Chelsea’s prior mistakes. Expensive panic buys like Ramsdale may do more harm than good.
Ramsdale may see an opportunity to relocate with his playing time reduced. But we cannot be impulsive like a kid in a candy shop.
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If we decided to stick with a player in the summer, we cannot think of replacing him within a couple of months. If it really is a long-term strategy at Chelsea, then the trust in players has to be long term too.
What will Sanchez do if Ramsdale signs? And why would Ramsdale want to swap the Gunners for the Blues if he faces a similar competition for starts here? It doesn’t make sense.