Aaron Ramsdale has been explaining why he joined in with the “you’re sh*t, ahhh” chant from Leicester supporters during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.
The Gunners goalkeeper is quickly becoming a cult hero at Emirates Stadium, with a string of impressive performances on the field and a bubbly character off it endearing him to a loyal fan base.
England hopeful Ramsdale is playing with a smile on his face and says he will always look to join in with banter from the stands as it helps him to relax and narrow focus on what really matters.
What has been said?
The 23-year-old has told talkSPORT of reacting to taunts from Foxes followers by finishing off their chant: “I just thought I’d go along with it! I’ve missed it over the course of Covid.
“I think it makes me play better, it makes me prove a point, it helps me prove someone wrong.
“It raises my concentration levels. If I’m giving a bit to them and I make a mistake I know I’m going to get absolutely slaughtered. I can’t let anything in if I’m giving them a bit of banter.”
How does Ramsdale react to praise?
Since completing a £24 million ($33m) move to Arsenal from Sheffield United over the summer, Ramsdale has seen his attitude and ability showered with praise.
He has quickly nailed down a No.1 spot under Mikel Arteta, with Bernd Leno being edged out, and is expected to become an England regular of the future.
Some iconic names from the past have been talking up Ramsdale’s talents, with a stunning stop to keep out a James Maddison free-kick against Leicester leading Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel to post on Twitter: “Best save I’ve seen for years”.
On earning plaudits from a man with five Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph to his name, Ramsdale added: “It’s like someone’s hacked his Twitter! It’s crazy and quite hard to explain.
“With Kasper being at the other end and Peter tweeting that, it was a special moment for me to see that when I came into the dressing room.”
Quizzed on whether he looked up to Schmeichel when learning his own trade, Ramsdale said: “I’ll be totally honest, no!
“I knew all about him, I watched many, many highlights and save reel stuff on him. I wasn’t much of a Manchester United fan and when I was growing up and started goalkeeping I think he would’ve been retiring.”
Arsenal, who are up to sixth in the Premier League table after going unbeaten through their last nine games in all competitions, will be back in action on Sunday when they take in a home date with Watford.