Stan Collymore tips West Ham United to sign Arsenal outcast Aaron Ramsdale in summer transfer
Stan Collymore has tipped West Ham United to sign Arsenal outcast Aaron Ramsdale in the summer to replace Alphonse Areola as the club’s number one goalkeeper.
Ramsdale has been ousted as the number one at The Emirates by David Raya, who is expected to make his loan move from Brentford permanent in the summer window which would spell the end the England international’s time in north London.
But Collymore, writing his column for Caught Offside (12 January) believes the Hammers could be the “perfect project” for him to restart his career with Areola and Fabianski both ageing and David Moyes wanting to break into the Champions League.
“On the subject of Ramsdale, to me, he looks certain to leave Arsenal at the end of the season,” he said.
“Why would he stick around? – He’s earned his stripes as a top club’s number one. I don’t think he did enough wrong last season to warrant losing his place so he has every right to go to a new club and say ‘I am a number one keeper, I will only sign for you if you ensure I am exactly that’.
“But what club could offer him that opportunity next remains unknown, of course. I do wonder if West Ham might fancy him though. They’ve got Alphonse Areola and Lukasz Fabianski as their two senior keepers but both are into their 30’s with the latter close to turning 40, so it seems a change in that position is coming sooner rather than later.
“Could Ramsdale be the man for David Moyes? – I think so, and I also think that’s one club that could offer him exactly what he’s looking for.
“The Hammers are a big enough club that their players are considered for international duties, they have had recent success in Europe, and by the manager’s own admission, are now aiming to establish themselves as a Champions League side — that seems like the perfect project for a player like Ramsdale.”
Shout
If West Ham want to really push themselves into the top four and make a charge for the Champions League, then some tough decisions are going to need to be made in the transfer market.
Lukasz Fabianski is nearing 40 now and won’t be here for much longer for sure, but Areola is arguably in the prime of his career right now and has been playing well this season.
But there is a reason that he has been a number two for the majority of his career and that’s because there are better options out there – and Aaron Ramsdale is one of them.
Areola is thought to be on big wages after being on £120k per-week at Paris Saint-Germain but moving him on and getting a big fee from another club could well open the door for Ramsdale to come in.
That would be the future of the club secured for several years and would be a great foundation to build on for a charge into Europe’s elite. It’s not the worst shout we’ve ever heard and could well be worth looking into.
In other West Ham news, transfer bid submitted for “Excellent” Euro midfielder.