Aaron Ramsdale has stolen the show at Arsenal since his arrival from Sheffield United, putting in consistently strong performances ousting Bernd Leno from the number one spot after just one appearance in the League Cup.
The German keeper looks like he could leave the club in the forthcoming transfer windows in search of more regular game time in order to get back into his national side ahead of the World Cup in 2022.
Valued at £16.2 million by Transfermarkt, he has been linked with a move away, but possible destinations are yet to surface.
Were he to leave, Arsenal would need to find a backup option to support Ramsdale. The club made an error in signing Icelandic international Alex Runarsson who looked out of his depth at the club after his arrival from Dijon.
Now, Edu must find enough quality so that any injury to their number one stopper is efficiently covered. Here are three options the club could opt for with confidence...
Freddie Woodman
Previously linked with a move to Arsenal, Freddie Woodman has seemingly been on the Gunners' radar for some time.
Spending a season on loan with Swansea City during the last campaign, Woodman returned to start for Newcastle United after both Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow were injured at the beginning of the season.
Upon both their returns to fitness, however, Woodman has found minutes near-impossible to claim.
He would be moving to a bigger club in Arsenal and closer to a first-team spot with just Ramsdale to compete with. His contract expires in 2023 and he may also, therefore, prove to be a cheaper option for the club.
Sergio Rico
Another third-choice keeper, Sergio Rico moved to PSG from Sevilla but has been forever behind Keylor Navas. Additionally, since the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, he has been demoted further down the pecking order.
The Spaniard became a full international during his time with Sevilla. He already has experience of playing regularly in the Premier League with Fulham and would likely cost a meagre amount to bring to the club.
The issue associated with Rico though is his non-homegrown status and would take up a space in the squad’s roster.
Although with Arsenal bringing in several English players and both William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli qualifying as homegrown from the start of next season, this becomes much less of a problem.
Arthur Okonkwo
The final choice is to promote from within. Arthur Okonkwo may not have covered himself in glory during his few pre-season fixtures in Scotland, however, the Arsenal youth stopper is highly rated at the club.
His inclusion would save money on a possible replacement and the expectations of the club are already instilled in his character. Arsenal have had great success bringing through talent from the academy and Okonkwo has shown to be a solid keeper within Hale End.
Able to play out from the back, as is desired by Arteta, Okonkwo’s inclusion wouldn’t mean a considerable hit to the Gunners’ ability to build up play from deep. However, there will be initial questions as to whether he is yet ready for first-team action for a prolonged period should Ramsdale suffer a serious injury.
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