Arsenal draw up three man shortlist to provide competition for new number one Ramsdale

After a disastrous opening month, Arsenal appear to be getting their season back on track, with Sunday’s 3-1 victory over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur their third successive victory and enough to see them leapfrog the Lilywhites. 

After defeats to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City in the opening three weeks of the season, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta made a number of changes to his starting line up, and has since reaped the rewards with three wins on the bounce.

One of the players introduced to Arteta’s starting line up after the defeat to Manchester City was goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who had joined the Premier League side from Championship Sheffield United in the final week of the summer window.

The Englishman has since established himself as the club’s first choice ‘keeper, contributing a number of impressive performances and managing four clean sheets in six games for the club so far.

Despite the success of the new boy in goal, however, it appears that Arteta’s side are still keen on signing another new goalkeeper, with Bernd Leno set to depart the club having been demoted to second choice.

The 29-year-old has told German publication BILD that he has not been given a reason for being dropped to the bench.

“There was no clear reason why I was out, just that it had nothing to do with my performance,” the German said.

Leno has fallen behind Ramsdale in the pecking order and could force a move away

According to The Daily Mail, the club have drawn up a list of three ‘keepers that they will target in January, with Leno edging closer to a January move to Italian side Inter Milan.

The report suggests that Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana is on the club’s shortlist, despite having not played since January due to an ongoing suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

The Cameroonian is set to to depart the Dutch side when his contract expires next summer, with the club’s director of football Marc Overmars recently claiming that talks over a contract extension had broken down.

The second name on Arsenal’s radar is believed to be Barcelona’s Neto.

The Brazilian veteran has played just 11 La Liga games in the two years since he joined the Catalan giants, and could be allowed to leave the club as they continue their exodus of high earners.

The final name on Arsenal’s shortlist is believed to be Brentford’s David Raya, who has continued the fine form he demonstrated in the Championship last season and carried it into the Premier League this term.

The 26-year-old has kept three clean sheets for the newly-promoted Bees this term, and is nailed on as the club’s first choice between the sticks.

Raya’s form for Brentford this season has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal

Raya was particularly impressive in Brentford’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, making a number of impressive saves including a fine stop to deny Diogo Jota.

With Mikel Arteta having insisted that he wants Ramsdale and Leno to compete with each other for the starting spot, Arsenal may not be too keen on allowing the German to leave in January if a replacement cannot be sourced.

Next summer, however, with the likes of Onana likely to be available, the club could allow Leno to leave and make a move for another experienced ‘keeper.