Arsenal ‘verbally agree personal terms’ with Olympics gold medal winner to replace Aaron Ramsdale
ARSENAL have verbally agreed personal terms with their Aaron Ramsdale replacement, according to reports.
The Gunners have been fielding offers for the England international goalkeeper, with Wolves understood to be the main party interested before the transfer deadline.
GettyArsenal have agreed personal terms with Joan Garcia[/caption]
Garcia was part of Spain’s gold medal-winning squad at the Olympics
AlamyBut a deal will only be pursued if Aaron Ramsdale leaves[/caption]
Wolves have already submitted a loan offer to take Ramsdale from the Emirates and are prepared to cover most of his wages, though Arsenal are understood to prefer a permanent exit this summer.
But Arsenal transfer chiefs have wasted no time in sorting out their new No2 in the event Ramsdale leaves.
This comes in the form of gold medal-winning Spaniard Joan Garcia, who plays for La Liga side Espanyol.
And according to Fabrizio Romano, the 23-year-old has already agreed personal terms on a move to Arsenal.
However, no official bid has been submitted yet and likely won’t be until there is development in the Ramsdale saga.
Garcia was part of the Spain squad which won gold in the football event at the Paris Olympics this summer.
But he failed to make an appearance as he was third choice behind Arnau Tenas and Alejandro Iturbe.
He spent the first half of last season on the bench in La Liga 2 before emerging into the first team in the final 14 games of the regular season as they secured promotion to the top flight via the play-offs.
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While in net he conceded just seven goals and had the best save rate in the division with an 82.5 per cent save percentage with 2.86 shots on target against him per 90.
Comparatively in the 2022/23 season when Ramsdale was the No1 for Arsenal, he had a save rate of 70.6 per cent with 3.58 shots on target against him per 90.
Garcia also trumps Ramsdale in numbers when it comes to sweeping, with 1.64 defensive actions outside of his area per 90 minutes compared to 1.13.
Ramsdale actions were done at an average larger distance of 16.1 yards from goal to Garcia’s at an average distance of 13.7 yards.
With the former Sheffield United and Bournemouth goalkeeper wanting first-team football, Arsenal have also eyed a deal for Wolves back-up keeper Dan Bentley.
It is currently unclear if Bentley will be part of the talks after Arsenal attempted to sign the 31-year-old earlier in the transfer window with a rejected offer of £300,000.
Arsenal ratings vs Wolves
ARSENAL kicked off their campaign with three points at home to Wolves.
Here’s how SunSport’s Isabelle Barker rated Mikel Arteta’s men.
David Raya – 8
Produced a jaw-dropping save in the opening-half on an awkward Jorgen Strand Larsen header.
Saved Saliba’s skins late on when he nearly produced a monumental cock-up by passing the ball straight to Cunha.
Ben White – 7
White wanted a goal so bad, had two shots in the opening half and was linking the play well.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6
Put the Gunners under pressure at times to highlight why the club signed Riccardo Calafiori in the summer.
The Ukrainian left-back also looked weak defensively.
With the return of Jurrien Timber, Zinchenko could see himself out of the starting XI.
Gabrel – 7
Was mostly rock solid at the back and was more reliable than Saliba but still made a few questionable tackles.
William Saliba – 6
Was the culprit of a number of poor passes.
Had a disastrous spell which gifted Wolves a chance, forcing Raya into that blinding save in the first-half.
He then passed the ball straight to Matheus Cunha who so very nearly equalised in the second-half.
Martin Odegaard – 7
A joy to watch in the first-half but needed to sharpen up in the second-half. Held onto the ball for too long doing flicks and tricks which put Arsenal under the cosh.
Thomas Partey – 7
Solid display, buzzed about all over the pitch and was neat and tidy with his distribution.
Nearly made it 2-0 in the second-half with a rasping, low shot.
Declan Rice – 6
Had little influence throughout the game and came off injured on 84-minutes.
Bukayo Saka – 9
The opener was all about the cross from Saka.
It was an inch-perfect, in-swinging cross into the box, the keeper couldn’t come for it, the defenders didn’t want to knock it into their own net, and Havertz took full advantage.
He wrapped up a perfect performance by firing a rocket into the top corner to make it 2-0.
Kai Havertz – 8
His opener had been brewing for a while when he produced a crisp finish on 25 minutes. He has now scored 10 goals in his last 15 Premier League games. Scuppered a golden chance early in the second-half though.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
Solid performance but was wasteful and selfish when he could have laid the ball back to Declan Rice when he was wide open.
Subs:
Jurrien Timber – 7
Gabriel Jesus – 7
Leandro Trossard – 7
