Aaron Ramsdale: return to Southampton confirmed

[Toonpack]

4 hours ago, Zero said:

 

It really depends on what you think about his days at Arsenal.

 

I am very happy for a backup GK for 1 year at such a 4m cost. However if this is our long term answer than I would be disappointed.

 

He'll only become our long term answer IF he performs at a level that makes him so.

 

As a £4 mill "try before you buy" deal it's very solid business.

[ExiledGeordie]

I don’t really have an issue with this signing. He did well at Arsenal and I think Eddie can improve his levels. We need someone to push Pope and he’s definitely better with his feet than Pope and can be an excellent shot stopper. My only concern is commanding the box and occasional mistakes. As a short/medium term signing I’m happy with it as Dubs will almost certainly be off and that Vlach character will also certainly go out on loan. 

[Crimson Cardigan]

22 hours ago, Chicken Dancer said:

Slept on this and still think it’s a fucking shit signing, reflective of our embarrassing scouting network. 
 

 

How about now?

[Thumbheed]

Overall, this is a very good signing. 

 

Good keeper? Yes

Good age? Yes

Adds a quality we've been desperate for? Yes

Good price? Yes

Freedom to upgrade in the future? Yes

 

This is about as risk free as it gets.

 

Not sure what the fuss is about tbh. 

[Crimson Cardigan]

Pretty good piece on Ramsdale in the Athletic, backed up by actual evidence rather than vibes, for anyone still feeling underwhelmed.

[oldtype]

I’ve now convinced myself that given our spending limitations, this was always a better allocation of our resources than plunking 30m or whatever on Trafford.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2025 by oldtype

[St1pe]

6 hours ago, McDog said:

 

 

My guess is he competes. Knowing Howe as best I can know him from afar. Who knows what ultimately happens.

 

 

edit: To clarify I would guess Popey is #1. But as I say, see where the chips fall.

 

 

 

I think this will be it. I think Pope’s kicking is fairly detrimental on how we want to play. Ramsdale is clear of him in this department. I think he’ll be given the opportunity to fight for the no1 spot and if he cuts out the erratic stuff I think he’ll become our no1. 

[Fenham Mag]

[TBG]

 

 

[KaKa]

29 minutes ago, Crimson Cardigan said:

Pretty good piece on Ramsdale in the Athletic, backed up by actual evidence rather than vibes, for anyone still feeling underwhelmed.

 

From what I'm reading on here it's clear people only know him from that pigeon clip and perhaps some highlight of the odd mistake he made that was on X or something.

[Chicken Dancer]

38 minutes ago, Crimson Cardigan said:

How about now?

Not going over it again but yes, still think he’s shit. Will be glad if he doesn’t play much (better if never) but fear he’s going to start much more games than we think.
 

Hopefully for the next decade we don’t live to regret not getting Trafford done.
 

Glad it’s an option & not an obligation. 

[Doctor Zaius]

I think this is good business if it's an option to buy.

 

Free up funds for elsewhere. If he's good we can keep him, if he's shite we can sack him off without having to sell. 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2025 by Doctor Zaius

[KaKa]

28 minutes ago, oldtype said:

I’ve now convinced myself that given our spending limitations, this was always a better allocation of our resources than plunking 30m or whatever on Trafford.

 

 

 

 

The certainty that Trafford was going to be so much better is interesting.

 

As things stand he's a Championship goalie with a lot of promise.

 

Last time he was in the Prem he wasn't able to hold down his position the full season.

 

In the short term I'm more confident playing Ramsdale this season. He has far more top level experience in the Prem and Champions league at a club with high stakes.

[r0cafella]

Ramsdale is a side grade at best if we are being honest. Not sure I see the value of having two keeps of about even overall ability. 

 

Im assuming we will exercise the option as well given Eddie isn't keen on loans. 

[KaKa]

3 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Ramsdale is a side grade at best if we are being honest. Not sure I see the value of having two keeps of about even overall ability. 

 

Im assuming we will exercise the option as well given Eddie isn't keen on loans. 

 

So you think at this point Trafford is clearly better than both Pope and Ramsdale then?

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, KaKa said:

 

So you think at this point Trafford is clearly better than both Pope and Ramsdale then?

No, I couldn't carless about Trafford, I don't actually understand why a club with ambition would bother to develop a goal keeper, just buy the best you can get like kobel. We are about dogmatic when it comes to this kind of thing. 

[KaKa]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

No, I couldn't carless about Trafford, I don't actually understand why a club with ambition would bother to develop a goal keeper, just buy the best you can get like kobel. We are about dogmatic when it comes to this kind of thing. 

 

Ah, okay. So you weren't keen on the Trafford signing either then. Fair enough.

[r0cafella]

Just now, KaKa said:

 

Ah, okay. So you weren't keen on the Trafford signing either then. Fair enough.

Yeah I couldn't give a shit. Would have been insane for us to pay 40m for him imo. 

[Vinny Green Balls]

Not a fan of Ramsdale at all, but I’m pretty sure that he raises the floor when it comes to keepers. Given Pope’s recent injury history, that’s at least something.

[Menace]

Especially when we've been complete tire kickers with other targets. I'm not a fan of Ramsdale, and this is more than just a "twitter opinion or a youtube compilation"

 

There's a reason no mid table team took a punt on him when he was available for quite cheap by EPL standards for a Prem keeper - happy to be proved wrong.

[oldtype]

I think we’re all reasonably expecting some level of improvement from the tail end of his Arsenal days. And if Eddie Howe thinks he can fix him, who am I to say that’s wrong.

[TRon]

28 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Ramsdale is a side grade at best if we are being honest. Not sure I see the value of having two keeps of about even overall ability. 

 

Im assuming we will exercise the option as well given Eddie isn't keen on loans. 

 

 

If his distribution is significantly better it could make a big difference to how effectively we play the ball out. When I was looking at Trafford he did seem particularly good at finding his players. 

[r0cafella]

5 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

 

If his distribution is significantly better it could make a big difference to how effectively we play the ball out. When I was looking at Trafford he did seem particularly good at finding his players. 

Yeah that's of course true but is his shot stopping and sweeping up to par? 

[1964]

37 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

The certainty that Trafford was going to be so much better is interesting.

 

As things stand he's a Championship goalie with a lot of promise.

 

Last time he was in the Prem he wasn't able to hold down his position the full season.

 

In the short term I'm more confident playing Ramsdale this season. He has far more top level experience in the Prem and Champions league at a club with high stakes.

This... Its not like Trafford is proven premiership quality, he was piss poor last time and hated crosses more than Nosferatu

[TRon]

Just now, r0cafella said:

Yeah that's of course true but is his shot stopping and sweeping up to par? 

 

I thought he was good in the shot stopping category for Arsenal, but he did drop the odd clanger. Maybe he's matured since then, he was pretty young for a keeper.