Arsenal legend David Seaman says he expects Aaron Ramsdale to become “a better goalkeeper” following the arrival of David Raya.

The Spaniard will join on an initial loan deal, with the intention of battling Ramsdale for the no.1 spot. When asked about the situation, Seaman said that the Gunners could only benefit from having both players and he is backing Ramsdale to thrive due to the competition:

“There are all sorts of different twists and turns that happen with this, but for Arsenal to have two good goalkeepers is good. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. This will make Aaron a better goalkeeper, definitely.”

Ramsdale has already declared that he is up for the fight with Raya to keep his place in the starting eleven, so Seaman’s assessment looks to be accurate.

There is no obligation to buy Raya

The fact that Raya is only joining on loan, though, makes for an interesting subplot. While it has been claimed that the deal has been structured in such a way because of Financial Fairplay, it also gives the Gunners the option to part ways with the player next summer if he can’t establish himself as first choice.

If Arsenal were already convinced about the 27-year-old’s ability, they would have accepted an obligatory purchase clause in the loan. The fact that it is optional suggests Mikel Arteta’s side are hedging their bets.

Ramsdale will start for Arsenal against Forest

At the time of writing, Raya’s move has not been officially announced and it seems almost certain that Ramsdale will be in goal for the season opener.

If that turns out to be the case, Arsenal’s current no.1 will have the opportunity to put down a marker. From that point onwards, though, it will be interesting to see whether Arteta does drop him for Raya.