Much of the noise at Arsenal so far this season has centred around goalkeepers David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale.
Ramsdale was an important part of the Gunners’ title challenge in the 2022/23 campaign but manager Mikel Arteta decided to bring fellow Spaniard Raya in from Brentford towards the end of the summer transfer window.
The loan arrival has nailed down the starting goalie position since the end of the September international break, though his displays have not been convincing and there have been calls for Ramsdale to retake the spot between the sticks.
The England international will get that opportunity when Arsenal take on Brentford this weekend in their first game back after the November international break, with Raya not eligible against his former club.
Raya joined Arsenal on loan with an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. That means he cannot play against his Brentford, his parent club, when the Gunners make the short trip to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Premier League has rules in place that prohibit players from facing the team they are on loan from, as it is seen as a conflict of interest. This is not a universal rule in football, with Serie A being an example of a league where loanees often end up scoring against their parent club.
90min understands Arsenal have told Raya they intend to activate the purchase clause worth £27m to make his loan from the Bees permanent. But only then will he be able to face his former side in league action.
Since the September international break, Raya has started all of the north London side’s Premier League and Champions League matches, meaning Ramsdale is now in line for his first league start since 3 September.
Ramsdale’s removal from the No.1 spot at the Emirates has been a major story this season and it took a twist when his dad appeared on the Highbury Squad podcast.
On Ramsdale’s demotion, the father said: “We did not have a clue. I didn’t have a clue, our family didn’t have a clue, Aaron didn’t have a clue that he was not going to carry on playing. All of a sudden, he’s not been played.
“You just have to look at it personally and I’m probably saying too much but: Aaron is going to be the cup goalkeeper, and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending off. And Aaron’s got to live with that and he is living with that even though he’s not been told it. By anybody.
“Squads evolve all the time, nobody is going to be there forever. David Raya has not pulled up trees so far, let’s say he’s not going to. Even though the way it’s been done, in my eyes, it’s been wrong.
“Aaron lost that smile. And it’s difficult to see him there. We all keep saying: ‘you need to keep smiling’. And at the moment in time, we haven’t got that smile in him.”
Raya was eligible to face Brentford when the two sides met in the Carabao Cup earlier this season. The game ended 1-0 to Arsenal and Ramsdale was the chosen goalkeeper, with Karl Hein on the bench.
Its rulebook says “during the period of any temporary loan transfer, a player shall not play against his transferor club without the prior written permission of the transferor club (which, if given, must be indicated on the appropriate temporary loan transfer form)”.
Brentford gave Arsenal permission to use Raya, but Arteta just chose not to.
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