"Playing was my aim" – Aaron Ramsdale opens up on why he left Arsenal ahead of Emirates return with Southampton

Southampton star Aaron Ramsdale has opened up on why he opted to exit Arsenal on a permanent deal ahead of his side's Premier League trip to Emirates Stadium.

Ramsdale, who helped the north London club finish second in the 2022-23 Premier League table, was demoted to the Gunners' second-choice shot-stopper past term. The 26-year-old made just six league appearances for his former team, registering two shutouts as well.

Since arriving in a potential £25 million switch from Arsenal, Ramsdale has started four Premier League games for Southampton. He has helped his club register one stalemate, shipping 10 goals in the process.

Speaking to BBC One's Football Focus ahead of Southampton's clash on Saturday (October 5), Ramsdale asserted that he left the Gunners for more playing time. He said (h/t BBC):

"If I was sitting on the bench, it [winning a trophy] wouldn't have meant that much to me. I just wanted to play football. As a kid, I wanted to play football to play, not to just sit on a bench. Getting out and playing was my aim so I'm lucky I found myself here at Southampton."

Opining on Southampton manager Russell Martin, Ramsdale added:

"Martin is top. His enthusiasm, the way he wants to play, the way he wants to do things... he's going to stick by it. He's not going to change because other people say he needs to."

The Gunners, on the other hand, turned David Raya's loan move into a permanent deal after paying £27 million to Brentford earlier in July.

Arsenal backed to defeat Southampton

In his column for Metro, England legend Alan Shearer stated that Arsenal will beat Southampton to maintain their unbeaten start to the ongoing Premier League term. He wrote:

"Southampton were awful in the first half [of their 3-1 league loss] against Bournemouth. They capitulated after looking bright for the first five or ten minutes. As soon as they conceded, they just folded. They were a bit better in the second half, but it was too little, too late. I can't see them getting anything at the Emirates, where Arsenal taught [Paris Saint-Germain] PSG a lesson earlier in the week."

Arsenal are third in the Premier League table with 14 points from six outings, while Southampton are 19th with one point from six matches.

As for head-to-head record, Mikel Arteta's side have recorded just four triumphs in their past 11 total games against the newly promoted side.