Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte is on the radar of Arsenal as they prepare for the potential departure of Aaron Ramsdale during the summer transfer window, according to The Telegraph.
The England international was praised for his ‘huge personality and courage’ by Gunners manager Mikel Arteta on Saturday after bouncing back by making crucial saves following an error that led to a goal in the 2-1 win over Brentford.
Ramsdale was in goal as David Raya was ineligible to face his parent club, and with his international career now at stake, the 25-year-old is expected to leave for another club where he is guaranteed the starting berth.
Mikel Arteta praises Aaron Ramsdale for his ‘huge personality and courage’ after horror error in Arsenal’s victory against Brentford – as he admits the team ‘really wanted to win’ for under-fire goalkeeper.
Arsenal have been identifying replacements, and Schulte has been on their radar after catching the eye with his performances in the Major League Soccer.
The Gunners are convinced that the 23-year-old has a similar profile to fellow USA internal Matt Turner, who they signed from New England Revolution before selling him to Nottingham Forest during the transfer window last summer.
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy showered encomium on Schulte last November after he came up with several critical saves in a 2-0 win over Orlando City.
“Obviously, I don’t like to talk about one player in particular, but Pat has been outstanding,” Nancy said after the game.
“Schulte, he kept us in the game. I’m so happy for him because I remember many games that he was not happy about his performance and he did a good job during the performance, but he was not happy with that. All the time, he’s extremely demanding with himself to try to put the level up and the level up.”
It was his debut MLS season as a starting goalkeeper and he impressed, making 90 saves, keeping seven clean sheets, and conceding 43 goals in 31 games.
He helped them win the MLS Cup last December and could be the perfect Ramsdale replacement for Arsenal.
However, whether Schulte will be keen to move to North London and play second fiddle to Raya remains to be seen.
The youngster only received his first international call-up in January and will need to keep playing regularly to have a chance of becoming the first-choice of the USMNT.
Some other European clubs are keeping tabs on Schulte, and while joining Arsenal would be tempting, moving where he is assured of frequent game time could be more appealing.
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