Ben Foster has told Aaron Ramsdale to find a ‘settled Premier League team’ and believes the goalkeeper would be a significant ‘upgrade’ on Robert Sanchez should Chelsea come calling.
Ramsdale suffered the third relegation of his career as Southampton’s immediate return to the Championship was confirmed following the side’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham earlier this month.
A summer exodus is expected at St Mary’s and Ramsdale is among the list of players set for the exit door, just one year after arriving from Arsenal, with several top-flight clubs keeping close tabs on the 26-year-old’s situation.
Manchester United are said to be weighing up a bid to sign Ramsdale as a potential successor to Andre Onana, whose struggles have continued across another error-strewn season at Old Trafford.
West Ham have also been credited with a strong interest in Ramsdale, with Graham Potter known to be an admirer of the England international, who is reportedly available for a fee in the region of £25million.
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However, former Manchester United, Watford and England goalkeeper Foster feels Ramsdale could be a sensible option for Chelsea as a possible replacement for Sanchez, who faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.
It’s proven a difficult campaign for Sanchez between the sticks and the Spaniard even lost his place in Enzo Maresca’s starting XI to Filip Jorgensen in February after a string of costly blunders.
Asked whether he would take Ramsdale if he was Chelsea, Foster told the Ben Foster – The Cycling GK podcast: ‘Yes, I would. He would be an upgrade.
‘He needs to find a team that are going to be a solid, settled Premier League team and you’ll get another ten years out of Aaron Ramsdale at the top level.
‘That’s what Aaron Ramsdale needs. There’s a really good signing there.’
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According to Foster, Chelsea’s most in-form goalkeeper has actually been out on loan this season.
‘The funny thing is that Chelsea’s best goalkeeper this year has been out on loan at Bournemouth,’ he added.
‘I think Kepa [Arrizabalaga] has been fantastic for Bournemouth this season. [I don’t know] whether they sign him in the summer or not because there’s going to be a bit of a merry-go-round.
‘I think [Caoimhin] Kelleher at Liverpool is going to be leaving, there is rumours of him going to Bournemouth, which means that if Kepa doesn’t sign there then he’ll go back to Chelsea.
‘Will Kepa be fighting for the number one spot at Chelsea? I think sometimes with Kepa, he’s better off at a Bournemouth than he is at a Chelsea.’
While Foster has been impressed Sanchez’s shot-stopping abilities, he feels the Spaniard is guilty of losing his composure in high-pressure situations.
‘It’s the mentality. Every goalie can make world-class saves, it’s about being calm under pressure,’ he continued.
‘It’s about being alert and ready to go, but also being calm with it and relaxed with it and not panicking.
‘We spoke about Andre Onana a couple of weeks ago where in the big moments when he needs to make a block save, everything tenses up, his wrists go rock solid, his hand goes rock solid and the ball, it’s like hitting a brick wall and comes straight back out again.
‘You can’t do that as a goalie. You’ve got to be soft with it, you’ve got to be so calm and it’s such a risky game to play. You’ve got to just loosen, relax and feel when you just push it around the post.
‘At that moment in time, he [Onana] panics and I think Sanchez is exactly the same.
‘At certain moments when he needs to be calm under pressure, he panics, tenses up and that’s where all the errors start creeping in.’
On Sanchez, Foster went on: ‘He’s trying to do too much. Instead of just being settled and being comfortable in knowing what he is as a goalkeeper and letting it come onto you, don’t create work for yourself.
‘Do not go looking for work, that’s where you’re in a problem. Risks occur when you’re in places that you shouldn’t be.
‘This is why they say goalkeepers get better with age. It’s not about their bodies or physically, it’s about their brain, mentally, they calm down, they relax, they stay in their slot and then everyone knows where they are.’
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