Southampton and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale revealed that he left Arsenal because he didn’t want to “win trophies while sitting on the bench.”
Aaron Ramsdale made a £25 million move to Southampton from title-contending Arsenal this summer, signing a four-year contract. Last season, the 26-year-old lost his spot as the Gunners’ number one to David Raya, resulting in just six Premier League appearances. However, Ramsdale has since started in Southampton’s last four matches.
“When asked about his transfer, Ramsdale stated, ‘If I was sitting on the bench, winning a trophy wouldn’t have meant that much to me,’ during an interview with BBC One’s Football Focus. He emphasized, ‘I just wanted to play football. As a kid, my goal was to play, not to sit on the bench. Getting out and playing was my aim, so I’m lucky I found myself here at Southampton.’
Southampton, currently in 19th place, is set to face third-placed Arsenal in their next match on Saturday, October 5 (15:00 BST).
Despite Southampton’s rough start, having earned only one point from six league matches, Ramsdale remains optimistic about manager Russell Martin. After a disappointing 3-1 loss to rivals Bournemouth, where the Saints had nearly 60% possession but created only three shots on target, Ramsdale believes Martin’s approach won’t waver. “Martin is top,” Ramsdale remarked. “His enthusiasm, the way he wants to play, and how he plans to do things—he’s going to stick by it. He’s not going to change just because others say he needs to.”