David James thinks Aaron Ramsdale should stay at Arsenal and fight for his place.
The England stopper, 25, has been strongly linked with a move away from the Emirates in January after losing his No1 spot to David Raya this season.
Raya, who joined on loan from Brentford, has been preferred by Mikel Arteta in the Premier League, with Ramsdale mostly limited to appearances in cup competitions.
But despite next summer’s European Championship increasing the need for stars to be playing regular football, former Three Lions keeper James is not convinced a January switch is the best option.
He told LiveScore: “If Aaron Ramsdale could get himself in a top European League where he is guaranteed to play first team football, then I think he would be in a position which is better than he is at the moment for Arsenal.
“However, I still think that Jordan Pickford is England’s No1 and barring injury, he will be the No1 throughout the Euros.
“So therefore, the question then is, ‘Do I upset the Arsenal position by going somewhere else and almost biting my nose off to spite my face?’
“I think he’s going to probably get an opportunity in the FA Cup now.
“You give yourself an opportunity to say to Gareth Southgate I can play in the big games on the big stages and perform.
“I would like him to stay and fight.”
No1 benefits
While James feels Raya is undoubtedly Arteta’s preferred choice now, the former Liverpool custodian feels the debate around Arsenal’s two keepers has not helped either of them.
He added: “Well, I think if we go back to the beginning, Mikel Arteta was well within his rights to bring in a new goalkeeper.
“I think the difficulty was the nature in which Raya was acquired, coming in on loan, he was almost brought in as a No2 but everyone knew he was going to take the position.
“I think that unsettled Ramsdale but it put a lot more pressure on David Raya too.
“One thing about Arsenal fans is they love certain players and I think Ramsdale is one of them.
“So David Raya was kind of under the pump to start with because of everything that’s gone on.
“What we’ve seen performance wise, he’s earned a number of clean sheets but he hasn’t had that many shots on target against him.
“But on the flip side, when Aaron’s been given his chance, he hasn’t done enough to force the argument any further.”
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Liverpool showdown
The Gunners face off against James’ former side Liverpool on Saturday evening in a tantalising encounter that sees the Premier League’s first and second-placed teams come to blows.
Both have been labelled as potential challengers to Manchester City’s dominance — and the 53-year-old feels the Reds are more capable of sustaining a title tilt.
He added: “I think the Odegaard situation at Arsenal is still pivotal. He is still Arsenal’s best player. I don’t think there’s any question about that.
“However, if you keep him quiet, then you kind of nullify Arsenal.
“Yes, they are top of the league, so they’re doing something right. But I think their numbers are down this season compared to last season so they’re not in the best place.
“Liverpool traditionally will put a long run together, which will put pressure on Arsenal. I think Liverpool convince me more than Arsenal do.”