has thanked Bernd Leno for all his help at , after the German goalkeeper’s move to Fulham was confirmed on Tuesday.
Leno had been expected to leave the Emirates this summer after losing his spot in the starting XI to Ramsdale last season and joins the Cottagers for a fee of £8million on a three-year deal.
As a result, 24-year-old Ramsdale has now inherited the No.1 shirt from his former teammate, and while they were technically rivals, fighting to be the first choice shot-stopper under Mikel Arteta, the pair appeared to have a very good relationship.
‘I’m very proud and honoured to be taking this massively prestigious number,’ Ramsdale told .
‘Some of the greats have worn this shirt and hopefully I can emulate how they performed on and off the pitch and also add a twist of my personality to it as well.
‘To Bernd Leno, I wish nothing but happiness and greatness on your new adventure. Thank you for showing me the ropes and I hope I can hold myself as graceful as you did in the shirt.’
Since the introduction of permanent squad numbers ahead of the 1993/94 season, seven players have won the prestigious No.1 shirt for Arsenal, namely David Seaman, Jens Lehmann, Manuel Almunia, Wojciech Szczesny, Petr Cech, Leno and now Ramsdale.
Leno joined the Gunners in 2018 from Bayer Leverkusen, and while his move ultimately didn’t pan out as expected, he still kept a respectable 37 clean sheets in 125 games, in what was a difficult period for the club.
In that time, he reached the Europa League final, won a Community Shield, and finished runner-up in Arsenal’s Player of the Season vote for 2019/20.
Upon his transfer to Fulham, the 30-year-old said: ‘It feels amazing to finally be here. I can’t wait to join the team, to train and play with the team.
‘I’m relieved that everything is done. I’m just happy to be here. It took a little bit of time but in the end, we made it, and that’s the most important thing.’
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