When Aaron Ramsdale walked off the pitch at Hampden Park on 12 September life was pretty good. On the back of an excellent 2022/23 season he had started all four of Arsenal’s games in 2023/24. They were unbeaten. For his country he had just played in a hard-fought away win against the strongest Scotland team in decades, bringing himself into a conversation for the No.1 spot at Euro 2024.
Ten-and-a-half weeks later, Ramsdale is on his knees on the pitch away at Brentford holding on to the ball as if his life depended on it. To say his career depended on it isn’t a million miles from the truth.
