David Raya has the edge over Aaron Ramsdale in the battle to be Arsenal goalkeeper… what does history tell us when two keepers compete for the No 1 shirt?

• David Raya has overtaken Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper 
• The battle is the latest between two goalkeepers for Premier League teams 
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

Having been given the nod in the north London derby, David Raya status as Arsenal’s new No 1 appears to have been confirmed.

The Spaniard has started the last three matches for the Gunners, with Aaron Ramsdale relegated to the bench.

Mikel Arteta’s decision has caused a stir with some praising the Arsenal manager’s ruthless move, while others believe Ramsdale has been unfairly treated.

Arteta has suggested he could even opt to change goalkeepers during the game and will make a decision on a game by game basis.

Here, Mail Sport looks at other examples of when Premier League sides have had two goalkeepers competing for the No 1 shirt and whether the battle has benefited the club.

David Raya has emerged as Arsenal’s first choice after starting their last three matches

Aaron Ramsdale will have to fight his way back into the Arsenal side after being dropped

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has suggested he will make his decision on a match by match basis

David Seaman vs Richard Wright – Arsenal

The Raya and Ramsdale situation is not the first time the Gunners have gone down the route of having two goalkeepers vying for the No 1 spot.

With concerns mounting over the form of a 37-year-old David Seaman, Arsenal moved to sign Richard Wright from Ipswich in a £6million deal ahead of the 2001-02 season.

Wright agreed a five-year deal at Arsenal and admitted he was ‘disappointed’ that he would begin the season on the bench, but the 23-year-old vowed to challenge Seaman to become Arsene Wenger’s pick between the sticks.

Wenger himself admitted the choice of two England international goalkeepers would be a dilemma.

‘I know picking a goalkeeper for our first game of the season will be a tough decision but I accept that,’ Wenger said upon signing Wright. ‘The great thing about Seaman is that he accepts that as well. David has 15 years of extra knowledge to pass on to Richard and although it is a competitive situation Richard will be able to learn a lot.’

Injuries suffered by Seaman ultimately handed Wright his opportunity, but he it proved one he was unable to take. 

Wright began with two clean sheets before enduring a torrid month when he punched a cross into his own net against Charlton, before being a fault for Tottenham’s equaliser in a north London derby. 

He was then substituted at half-time for Stuart Taylor in a Champions League match following an error against Deportivo La Coruna.

Seaman ultimately returned to the starting team after coming back from injury and played a key role as Arsenal completed the double. He later signed a one-year contract extension, while Wright departed after a single season.

Richard Wright was signed as competition for David Seaman but failed to impress at Arsenal

David James vs Brad Friedel – Liverpool

A couple of years earlier a similar battle was taking place at Anfield after Liverpool signed Brad Friedel ahead of the 1997 Premier League season to challenge David James.

James had been Liverpool’s first choice goalkeeper for five years before Friedel’s arrival, but a series of blunders had led to cruel nickname of ‘Calamity James’.

During their two seasons battling out to be Liverpool’s goalkeeper, James had the edge by playing 53 matches to the 23 managed by his rival.

However, when Friedel was named in goal for the Reds final five games of the 1998-99 season manager Gerard Houllier announced that James would be moving on from the club. The statement came James was dropped him from a match against Blackburn.

James admitted being axed signalled the end of his time at Liverpool. He later praised Houllier for insisting he shake Friedel’s hand before matches despite competing for the role, crediting the Frenchman for fostering a team environment.

In an interview for FourFourTwo, Friedel admitted his first three months at Liverpool were ‘worst I played in my whole life’ as he struggled to settle at the club.

Friedel and James’ struggles led Liverpool to sign Sander Westerveld for £4m in the summer, a British record move for a goalkeeper at the time.

David James time at Liverpool came to an end after he was dropped for Brad Friedel

Mark Bosnich vs Massimo Taibi vs Van der Gouw – Man United

Manchester United acted quickly to the daunting task of replacing Peter Schmeichel, after the Dane left at the conclusion of their Treble winning season in 1999.

Sir Alex Ferguson moved to resign Mark Bosnich after the Australian had impressed at Aston Villa, with the goalkeeper starting the opening three matches of the season.

An injury to Bosnich led to veteran Raimond van der Gouw playing the next four matches, with the Red Devils then signing Massimo Taibi in a £4.5m deal to provide additional competition.

Taibi played four matches for Man United but had a disastrous spell, with the Italian infamously allowing Matt Le Tissier’s shot to roll through his legs and dribble into the net.

His final appearance came in a 5-0 defeat against Chelsea, with Bosnich and Van der Gouw ultimately playing 23 and 14 matches respectively during the season.

While Man United retained the Premier League title, the club moved to sign Fabien Barthez at the end of the season for £7m.

Massimo Taibi was one of three goalkeepers used by Man United after Peter Schmeichel’s exit

Jerzy Dudek vs Chris Kirkland – Liverpool

Liverpool announced the arrivals of Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and England youngster Chris Kirkland on the same day in 2001. The latter was signed for a British transfer record of £6m, according to his former side Coventry.

Dudek and Kirkland were pitted head to head to replace Westerveld, who had been first choice as the Reds had won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup the previous season.

While the more experienced Dudek was the clear first choice initially, Houllier announced that Kirkland was to be given a chance to become the No1 after the Pole made crucial errors against Man United the following campaign.

‘I spoke to both goalkeepers and told them he would get his run of games and that he will get the same backing that I have given to Jerzy,’ Houllier announced.

Injuries to Kirkland and mixed form led to the gloves changing hands on multiple occasions over four seasons.

Dudek would place himself into Liverpool folklore for his role in their Champions League triumph in 2005, with his penalty heroics against AC Milan.

He was ultimately replaced as first choice by Pepe Reina the following season.

Jerzy Dudek entered Liverpool folklore after his penalty heroics in the Champions League final

Tim Howard vs Roy Carroll – Man United

Man United dispended with Barthez after three seasons in 2003, with the French World Cup winner facing scrutiny for an error in their Champions League exit against Real Madrid.

Tim Howard was signed in the summer to challenge Roy Carroll, with the American quickly establishing himself as the new No.1 at United.

Howard, however, was at fault for Porto’s late winner in the Champions League that led to Jose Mourinho running down the Old Trafford touchline in celebration.

His error led to Carroll being given a run in the side, before Howard regained his place.

Howard was dropped again after mistakes during Man United’s first five matches of the 2004-5 season, with Carroll ending the season with 26 appearances to the American’s 12 matches.

The Northern Ireland international survived the axe for another five matches after the ‘ghost goal’ against Tottenham, when Pedro Mendes effort was stunningly not given as a goal after Carroll spilled his shot over the line.

Carroll and Howard would switch twice more before the end of the season, with Man United ending their goalkeeper crisis by signing Edwin van der Sar in the summer from Fulham.

Tim Howard and Roy Carroll struggled to nail down the No.1 spot over a two-year battle

Wojciech Szczesny vs David Ospina – Arsenal

The Gunners once again had multiple goalkeepers vying to become first choice during the 2014-15 season, after David Ospina joined from Ligue 1 side Nice.

Arsene Wenger kept faith with Wojciech Szczesny with the Polish keeper starting 17 of their opening 20 matches of the season.

The situation shifted after Arsenal suffered a 2-0 loss to Southampton on New Year’s Day in 2015, with Szczesny later fined for smoking in the showers following the defeat.

‘Somebody saw me, it wasn’t even the boss himself, and just reported it back to the boss,’ Szczesny told Arsenal’s club website in an interview in 2020.

‘I saw him a couple of days later, he asked me if that was true and I said, ‘Yes’. He fined me and that was the end of it.

‘He then said, ‘Look, you’re going to be out of the team for a little bit’ but there was no big bust-ups or big confrontations. I was very professional about it.

‘I was fully expecting to be back in the team a few weeks later but we had a good run of form and David Ospina, who came in goal, played really well for those few games. He stayed in.’

Ospina had played 18 Premier League matches by the end of the season, with Emiliano Martínez playing four.

With Cech signing for Arsenal in the summer, Szczesny spent two seasons on loan at Roma while Ospina returned to being second choice.

David Ospina replaced Wojciech Szczesny in goal for the second half of the 2014-15 season

Joe Hart vs Willy Cabellero – Man City

Concerns were raised for Joe Hart’s status at Man City after Manuel Pellegrini moved to sign Willy Cabellero in 2014.

The Argentine had played under Pellegrini during their successful spell at Malaga and declared he would challenge Hart for the No.1 jersey on his arrival at Man City.

Pellegrini was coy on who would be his first choice shot stopper after Cabellero’s arrival, with the new signing starting in the Community Shield.

‘I have two number one goalkeepers, I have two number one full-backs, on the right and left, and in other positions,’ said Pellegrini. ‘I am sure Willy will be very important for us but I also continue thinking we have the best goalkeeper in England in Joe Hart. 

‘Top teams need two players for each position because we have to play so many games during the year. The best way to have the highest performance from the players is for it to be very competitive between them.’

Hart appeared to rise to the challenge by playing 36 of their Premier League matches and won the Golden Glove after keeping 14 clean sheets. City would ultimately finish eight points behind champions Chelsea.

Cabellero served as City’s cup goalkeeper during the season. His chance in the Premier League came two years later after Claudio Bravo’s poor form after Pep Guardiola signed the Chilean to replace Hart.

Joe Hart won the golden glove for Man City despite the initial threat posed by Willy Caballero

Petr Cech vs Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea

Chelsea were spoiled for choice during the 2014-15 season when Courtois returned from a three-year loan at Atletico Madrid to challenge long-standing No 1 Petr Cech.

Having starred in Atletico’s run to the Champions League final, it was perhaps no surprise that Courtois displaced Cech in goal at the start of the season. 

‘I don’t make decisions for a season, I make them for a match,’ Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports after picking Courtois for the season opener against Burnley, with his comments mirroring those now given by Arteta.

‘Obviously a goalkeeper is not the type of player you are changing match after match, you must give some stability.

‘This is about performances and Thibaut has to know that having a goalkeeper like Petr sitting on the bench, means from him he needs to have a level of performance.’

Courtois played 39 games in total to the 16 managed by Cech, with the Blues ending the season as Premier League winners.

However, Cech was chosen to start for the Blues in their League Cup final win over Tottenham.

With Courtois having signed a five-year contract during the season, the writing appeared on the wall for Cech, who moved to Arsenal at the end of the campaign.

Thibaut Courtois’ rise as Chelsea’s first choice goalkeeper led to Petr Cech’s departure

Loris Karius vs Simon Mignolet – Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp moved to sign Loris Karius ahead of the 2016-17 season to provide competition for Simon Mignolet.

Klopp insisted at the time he had no clear No 1 with Mignolet having signed a five-year contract extension only months earlier, despite three inconsistent seasons.

Mignolet would start 28 matches in the Premier League during the season, with Karius playing in the other 10 games. The pair also shared duties during the cup competitions. 

The following season saw Klopp change his stance, announcing in October: ‘In this moment we have a number one and that’s Loris Karius. That’s the situation and what the goalkeepers know. I cannot leave them in doubt.’

The indifferent form of the two goalkeepers ultimately meant Karius and Mignolet played exactly half of the Premier League matches each, although the former played throughout Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final.

Karius would ultimately endure a horror show in the final after Real Madrid, with his two costly mistakes contributing to the Reds losing 3-1.

Liverpool moved to sign Alisson Becker in the summer. 

Loris Karius edged Simon Mignolet at Liverpool before his Champions League final mistakes

Kepa Arrizabalaga vs Edouard Mendy – Chelsea

Having been left unconvinced by then £71m club record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea signed Edouard Mendy from Rennes in 2020.

Mendy was initially a major success at Chelsea after displacing Kepa, keeping 16 clean sheets in 31 matches in his first Premier League season.

The Senegalese goalkeeper was a crucial figure the following year as the Blues triumphed in the Champions League, beating Man City 1-0 in the final.

He equalled the Champions League record by keeping nine clean sheets in Chelsea’s victorious run, which saw him awarded the UEFA and FIFA Best awards as goalkeeper of the year.

A loss of form last season led to Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel dropping Mendy for Kepa, with the Spaniard eventually playing 29 of the Blues matches during a turbulent campaign.

Edouard Mendy was signed as comptetion for Kepa Arrizabalaga and became Chelsea’s No.1

Source: Read Full Article