Mikel Arteta follows Pep Guardiola to make inspired decision despite Arsenal backlash

The scenarios were very different but the decisions of equal significance and amongst the most important the two Premier League managers have made.

Before he had taken over at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola had made up his mind that Joe Hart was not the goalkeeper for him. In contrast, Aaron Ramsdale had made over 80 appearances for Mikel Arteta before the Arsenal boss decided the Englishman was not the keeper who could help the Gunners to step up to a new level.

Made just over one year ago, it was a brutal call, especially as Ramsdale had just won his fourth England cap and his international ambitions were taking shape. Ramsdale, 26, has made just one England appearance since - in a friendly defeat to Iceland ahead of last summer’s European Championship - and will return to the Emirates on Saturday as a Southampton player.

In his four appearances for the struggling Saints since his £25million move at the end of August, Ramsdale has shipped 10 Premier League goals. Yet 12 months ago, there was a lot of sympathy for Ramsdale amongst Arsenal supporters, especially when David Raya had an uncertain start to Gunners life and made a couple of high-profile errors.

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There might still be sympathy for Ramsdale, especially as his new club already looks destined for the Championship, and he will get a very warm welcome when he steps out at the Emirates.

But you will not find an Arsenal fan who does not now believe Arteta’s bold decision was the right one. And it was the type of decision the very best managers make. Now that the Spanish keeper has fully settled into the Arteta regime, bringing in Raya to displace Ramsdale has given Arsenal a marginal gain that could see them be successful at Premier League/Champions League level.

While he was not overly busy in the 2-0 win over Paris St Germain on Tuesday, that is two clean sheets in two Champions League matches, the highlight of the first of those being a double-save from a penalty at Atalanta. But that is not even Raya’s best work of the season. His stop to deny Ollie Watkins when the Premier League game was goalless at Villa Park in August is unlikely to be beaten in the 2024-25 Save of the Season competition.

At the time he displaced Ramsdale, most observers assumed Arteta’s reasoning was based on Raya being better with his feet. And while that might be true, Raya is now establishing himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the game.

Of course it helps when you are behind a defensive line as formidable as the one that Arteta has assembled. (And talking of players who can take Arsenal to a new level, Riccardo Calafiori looks like one of those.) But it seems as though that formidable defensive line also takes confidence from the assurance of Raya.

Elite managers make important decisions every day of their careers but few are as important as choosing who will be your last line of defence.

Guardiola’s decision did not initially look too clever when Claudio Bravo had a season to forget but Ederson came in a year later and the rest is history. Arteta’s decision did not initially look too clever but, a year on, it is beginning to look like one of the most inspired he has made.

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