Arsenal have signed Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, the club confirmed on Friday.
Ramsdale, 23, joins in a deal reportedly worth £24 million, which could rise to £30m with bonuses and add-ons.
He is the Gunners' sixth first-team signing of the summer window as the club look to improve on a disappointing 2020-21 season which left them out of European competition this term.
What was said?
"Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has joined us on a long-term contract from Sheffield United," the club wrote in a statement.
"The 23-year-old, who was part of England’s Euro 2020 squad, has represented England at all levels from Under-18 to Under-21 and was Sheffield United’s player of the year last season."
Arsenal also confirmed that Ramsdale will wear No. 32 at the club, and that they aim to complete his registration in time to include him in Mikel Arteta's squad for Sunday's clash with Chelsea.
The bigger picture
Arsenal slumped to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League in 2020-21 and alarm bells have already started ringing after going down to newly promoted Brentford on the first day of the season this time round.
Nevertheless, the Gunners have invested heavily in new talent and will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes.
Ramsdale joins Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White and Martin Odegaard at the Emirates Stadium, and Arteta for one is confident the Gunners are acquiring a great shot-stopper.
"Aaron is a really, really talented young goalkeeper with already huge experience and an international for England, and he’s going to bring competition, which is what we want, to create healthy competition, quality competition in every position," said Arteta. "We needed a goalkeeper there and he’s the ideal option," the manager remarked earlier this week.
"Give him some time. I think they're [Arsenal fans] going to love his personality, his character, the quality that he has as a goalkeeper and what he's going to offer. I think he’s a young goalkeeper, but he has got huge, huge potential."
