Aaron Ramsdale says he decided to turn certain notifications off on his social media accounts after a “backlash” from Arsenal fans over his signing.
The England international moved from Sheffield United in the summer for £24m with the fee potentially rising to £30m if certain performance-related targets are hit.
A number of Arsenal supporters initially reacted negatively on social media to his signing, insisting that it was expensive for a player who had two back-to-back relegations from the Premier League on his CV.
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But in reality, Ramsdale has been Player of the Year at both Bournemouth and the Blades during their relegation seasons.
And now Ramsdale has become a firm favourite among Arsenal fans, pulling off a number of key saves, while projecting his energy and passion on the rest of the Gunners backline.
“I saw the backlash,” Ramsdale told The Times. “That’s when I made the decision to turn comments off, notifications off for people I don’t follow on Instagram and Twitter. People can tag me but I won’t see it, so it won’t come up on my feed.
“When people were saying I was getting a lot of stick and abuse, I said, ‘Am I?’ Because I didn’t really know and I didn’t really care because, yes, I’ve been relegated twice but the way I looked at it was two years of completely different experiences to other people at 23 [years old]. It’s me and ten other people on the pitch.”
After usurping Bernd Leno into the number one position at Arsenal, Ramsdale’s attentions now turn to England and moving ahead of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
On his aspirations with the Three Lions, Ramsdale added: “I have the belief, but it’s whether I believe I can do it in that time.
“Jordan has been absolutely outstanding. It’s going to take a lot to get in front of him.
“It’s a long way away and anything can happen but keep playing for Arsenal, keep doing well and hopefully I can be in with a shout and see what happens. I’d be very happy to go, to be honest.”
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