Legendary former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has now revealed that he is baffled by one decision Mikel Arteta made this season.
Mikel Arteta has made plenty of contentious calls in his time as Arsenal manager.
The Spanish coach put his neck on the line when he forced big name stars such as Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the first-team picture at the Emirates Stadium.
He has also made gambles in the transfer market, paying out big fees for the likes of Ben White and Kai Havertz, who both had their doubters when they first made the switch to North London. Havertz was even deemed the worst Premier League signing made in the last summer transfer window.
In all of these instances, Arteta’s instincts have been proven correct. Arsenal became a more cohesive and unified team following the exits of Ozil and Aubameyang, whilst White and Havertz have both shone this season and have established themselves as fan favourites.
Early on this season, Arteta made the controversial decision to replace Aaron Ramsdale as the No. 1 goalkeeper with summer loan signing David Raya.
Arsenal icon Jens Lehmann hits out at Mikel Arteta over Aaron Ramsdale decision
Ramsdale is a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium and had done little to deserve losing his starting berth. However, it was clear that the manager considered Raya a better tactical fit for this Arsenal side.
As far as Jens Lehmann is concerned, though, this is one call that Arteta got wrong. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the German said “I never ever understood the Ramsdale decision. If you have a good, brave English keeper at a big English club doing well and then you bring in a Spanish guy who’s never played for a big club at that level – it just doesn’t make sense.
“The keeper is the most important position in the team. If I were Ramsdale, I don’t know how I would react because it’s not easy at that age. When you’re older, it’s different.”
The 25-year-old struggled to come to terms with Arteta’s decision. Ramsdale spoke out publicly about the pain that losing his Arsenal place caused him.
Arsenal take firm stance in David Raya v Aaron Ramsdale debate
Things have not always gone smoothly for his replacement, either. After some early struggles, many Arsenal fans called on Arteta to drop Raya and reinstate Ramsdale.
However, the boss stuck with the loanee, and has ultimately been rewarded for his faith in the 28-year-old. He has grown in confidence and now looks very settled at the club. Raya has been tipped as a contender to win the Arsenal Player of the Season award.
