Aaron Ramsdale says he ‘never wants to go through a season not playing again’ in clear message to Mikel Arteta as Arsenal goalkeeper admits it’s been a ‘tough year’ after losing his place in the team to David Raya

Aaron Ramsdale has sent a clear message to Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, saying he never wants to spend another season on the bench.

Ramsdale had two good seasons with the Gunners after joining from Sheffield United in the summer of 2021.

However, things turned sour for the Englishman last season when Mikel Arteta decided to sign David Raya from Brentford, with the Spanish stopper quickly securing the number 1 spot.

Ramsdale was relegated to the bench and only used in domestic cup competitions and the Brentford matches for which Raya was not eligible.

And the 26-year-old, who was still selected in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, has no intention of going through such a campaign again.

Ramsdale (left) lost his place to David Raya (right) in Arsenal’s starting XI last season

“No footballer doesn’t want to play,” he told talkSPORT. ‘I personally had a tough year without playing and I never want to experience that again.

‘It was tough, it was tough. But I have my release now, I’m here now, I have the greatest honor, the greatest emblem on my chest, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, whether I play a minute or no minutes, it will be the highlight for me, the best day ever.

‘For now I’m probably one of the happiest 26, 27 men in England and hopefully we can make not only ourselves but the many millions at home the happiest.’

Ramsdale, who has been linked with a move to Newcastle, is expected to remain on the bench as the Three Lions bid to end their wait for a major trophy in Germany with recognized No.1 Jordan Pickford.

“I think Jordan has had the shirt and we have all tried desperately over the last five years to get it off him and he has done incredibly well,” Ramsdale continued.

Ramsdale has sent a clear message to Mikel Areta that he will not accept being second choice

‘And if he gets the honour, I hope he does incredibly well again, because if he wins the tournament for me and I don’t play a minute, that will be the happiest day of my life.

‘But what I would say is that jersey numbers don’t always mean everything. We’re all fighting for the same goal, we’re all desperate to play. But then we also realize that it will be an effort of 26 people, 27 if you add Tom [Heaton] in it.

“But when you come to the national team, when you find your role, when you know your role, which Gareth can talk about very well, your mentality changes. I would do absolutely anything if he said I was number 3. No. 4, No. 1, I would do anything for the team, I would be on the training field for four hours if I could.

‘Competition is what we need, we don’t want eleven players to pick themselves, we want to give the staff headaches, we can’t just rely on eleven players for seven games if you want to win the tournament. ‘