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Aaron Ramsdale issues praise for Sheffield United player
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has heaped praise on Sheffield United shot-stopper Wes Foderingham for his performances at Bramall Lane, taking to Twitter to congratulate his ex-teammate.
Foderingham was previously behind Ramsdale in the pecking order in South Yorkshire, but the latter’s departure to the Gunners in a £30m deal last August was a game-changer for the former.
He may not have won a place in the starting lineup straight away with former boss Slavisa Jokanovic deciding to bring in Robin Olsen on a loan agreement from AS Roma on deadline day – but with the Sweden international sustaining an injury in November – he was given the opportunity to shine.
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This is an opportunity he took with both hands, performing well in Olsen’s absence and the latter wouldn’t make another appearance for the Blades after that, instead deciding to make the switch to Aston Villa in January.
Although Adam Davies came in as a replacement, the Welshman hasn’t been able to displace the ex-Rangers goalkeeper who has been a reliable figure between the sticks under Paul Heckingbottom, making very few errors.
One man that has been impressed with his performances is ex-Blade Ramsdale, who has seen his former teammate make an impressive 32 league appearances this term going into the play-off campaign.
Taking to Twitter in response to Foderingham winning the Players’ Player of the Year award, he posted: “Congratulations to another of my goalie friends! Wes Foderingham, been outstanding mate. Three big games to go.”
Congratulations to another of my goalie friends! @wes_foderingham been outstanding mate ❤️ 3 big games to go. https://t.co/PFzjos7vZt
— Aaron (@AaronRamsdale98) May 8, 2022
The Verdict:
Considering he did nothing wrong during the period between when Ramsdale left and Olsen arrived in August, he deserved his opportunity to shine later in the campaign and to his credit, he has been very consistent.
After spending so long on the sidelines, to come in and perform in that manner is impressive and this is why he deserves his award, though it remains to be seen whether he will remain between the sticks next term.
If United remain in the second tier, he is probably likely to remain at Heckingbottom’s first choice but it will be interesting to see whether that’s still the case if they are promoted to the top flight because the Blades will probably have plenty of money to spend in the transfer market this summer if they win the play-offs.
He should be kept at Bramall Lane for the long term regardless of this though because a big-money signing in the goalkeeping department isn’t guaranteed to work out and if it doesn’t, the 31-year-old could step in.
Olsen is a player with a good reputation after gaining vast international and domestic experience – but he didn’t perform that well for the second-tier side earlier in the season and this just shows why they should have a reliable keeper in Foderingham at their disposal.
