Five goalkeepers Arsenal could sign to replace Aaron Ramsdale

Keeping the second-most clean sheets in the 2022-23 Premier League season was not enough for Ramsdale to keep hold of the gloves over Brentford loanee David Raya, whose early-season wobbles only sparked further criticism and bewilderment of Arteta's controversial summer call.

However, thanks in no small part to Raya's Champions League penalty shootout heroics against Porto - as well as becoming the first goalkeeper to hit 10 clean sheets in the 2023-24 Premier League season - another questionable personnel decision from Arteta has been vindicated.

With a deal to bring Raya to Arsenal permanently this summer said to be set in stone, the exit door is seemingly beckoning for Ramsdale, who only extended his contract at the end of the 2022-23 campaign but has now lost the "smile" he beamed upon penning that renewal, according to his father.

Arteta stressed this week that there was a "big reality" that Ramsdale stayed at the club for 2024-25, but with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and potentially Newcastle United all prepared to offer him regular minutes as their new number one, the Spaniard's affirmations may not be so realistic after all.

Third-choice stopper Karl Hein is also out of contract this summer, and unless Arthur Okonkwo is deemed ready to play backup to Raya after his successful Wrexham loan, at least one new goalkeeper will be sought in another crucial market for the men in red.

With that in mind, Sports Mole runs the rule over five goalkeepers the Gunners could target to replace Ramsdale should he end his three-year association with the club in a few months' time.

Anthony Patterson - Sunderland

Finding a shot-stopper who will happily play second fiddle is an extremely tall order for any manager and sporting director, although the Gunners could find a willing candidate by dropping down a division.

Indeed, 23-year-old Sunderland stopper Anthony Patterson is now being tipped to take the next step in his fledgling career after going from strength to strength at the Stadium of Light, where he played every minute for the Black Cats during their run to the 2022-23 Championship playoffs.

Sunderland ultimately suffered Luton Town-inflicted heartache in their quest to return to the Premier League and will almost certainly miss out on the top six this time around, although Patterson has still earned his stars with 10 clean sheet from 40 second-tier appearances.

None of the former England Under-21 international's statistics truly stand out, although he ranks in the 85th percentile for crosses stopped against his fellow goalkeepers in the past year, an area which Raya already excels.

Patterson also averages a strikingly high 5.81 throws per match, an action which Raya has also become synonymous with at Arsenal, immediately looking to launch the ball out his hands to start a counter-attack after claiming those aforementioned crosses into the box.

Amid his similarities with the Gunners' number one, Patterson signed a new deal with Sunderland until 2028 last summer and therefore will not arrive cheaply, while Manchester City and Liverpool are also rumoured to be monitoring his progress in the Championship.

Diant Ramaj - Ajax

While Ajax's woeful 2023-24 campaign should largely be consigned to the back pages of history, the emergence of 22-year-old goalkeeper Diant Ramaj has been one saving grace following the 22-year-old's underwhelming spell at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ramaj was unable to oust Kevin Trapp from the Frankfurt XI and subsequently left last summer to join Ajax for a mere €5m (£4.3m), and similarly to Raya, he also began the season on the bench before cementing himself as his team's unchallenged first choice.

Five clean sheets from 25 appearances in the Eredivisie and Europa Conference League are hardly noteworthy, but Ramaj has been a cornerstone of Ajax's revival from their shocking start to the season, which even saw them flirt with relegation at one stage.

Also standing at 6ft 2in tall - albeit with one centimetre on Patterson - Ramaj also fits in with Arteta's ball-playing philosophy, ranking in the top three percent of goalkeepers for attempted passes per game with 43.80.

Arsenal are already rumoured to be weighing up an approach for Ramaj as Ramsdale's successor, but his contract also runs until the summer of 2028, and the German may be hesitant to immediately return to a bit-part role after fighting tooth and nail to become Ajax's regular guardian.

Patrick Schulte - Columbus Crew

Arsenal are no strangers to exploring the MLS market for defensive reinforcements, capturing Matt Turner and Auston Trusty from the United States top flight, although the latter failed to make a single competitive appearance and was seemingly signed to help boost the Gunners' relationship with their transatlantic counterparts.

Turner held his own in the Europa League, though, and his summer departure to Nottingham Forest also played a significant part in Arsenal pursuing Raya's signature, but the Gunners could now use their USA connections to their advantage again.

Last month, reports emerged that the Gunners were running the rule over Columbus Crew number one Patrick Schulte, who became an MLS Cup winner with the Ohio outfit during the 2023 campaign.

A strong start to the 2024 term has also seen the 23-year-old keep three clean sheets across seven matches in the top flight and CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the 6ft 4in stopper made his senior USA debut in a friendly loss to Slovenia back in January.

Making a name for himself as a sweeper keeper, Schulte sits in the 94th percentile for average distance of defensive actions from his goal at 18.3 yards, and Columbus only have him under contract until the end of the season.

The MLS Cup holders can trigger a one-year extension in the 23-year-old's terms, though, and Arsenal could be rivalled by Manchester United for the American's services if reports are to be believed.

Michele Di Gregorio - Monza

Moving closer to home, Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio failed to make the grade during his time at Inter Milan, but the 26-year-old has caught the eye and then some since donning the gloves for Monza.

Di Gregorio was on loan with the Serie A upstarts for two years before making his stay permanent in the summer of 2022, and thanks to his efforts in between the sticks, Monza are enjoying life in mid-table obscurity in the top flight.

The former Italy youth international is not the most towering goalkeeper at 6ft 1in, but he has kept a brilliant 13 clean sheets in 27 top-flight contests, only behind Inter Milan's Yann Sommer and Torino's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

Furthermore, the ex-Nerazzurri man ranks second for total saves (94) and save percentage (82.5%) in the Italian top flight this season, and what is more, his 81.9% save percentage over the past 365 days puts him in the top 1% of all goalkeepers in the big five European leagues.

Di Gregorio has peculiarly already ruled himself out of representing Italy at Euro 2024 due to the Azzurri's settled goalkeeping department, but his exploits domestically should be enough to generate significant interest this summer.

The 26-year-old is another shot-stopper with a long-running deal, though - his terms expire in 2027 - but he could also be at the centre of a tussle between the two Milan clubs after a standout season.

David de Gea - free agent

Should Arsenal wish to keep their warchest reserved for outfield positions - a new striker, midfielder and left-back ought to be targeted this summer - Arteta and sporting director Edu may turn to the free agent market to strengthen their goalkeeping department.

One unattached stopper already stands out head and shoulders above the rest in that regard, as David de Gea is approaching the one-year mark without employment since ending his 12-year association with Manchester United at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The ex-Atletico Madrid man did not leave without collecting another Premier League Golden Glove, but he has found future opportunities extremely difficult to come by - a succession of errors in his final days at the club may be partly to blame.

Links with former club Atletico and the lucrative Saudi Pro League have led to nowhere, and despite talk of a possible switch to Newcastle United over the winter, the 33-year-old - who still has plenty of life left in his legs - is still without a new stomping ground.

With plenty of experience domestically and continentally, as well as his Spanish connection with Raya, Arsenal could do worse than to offer De Gea employment in North London for the 2024-25 season, although his well-documented extortionate wages could present a stumbling block.