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Everton boost as Jordan Pickford may have secured England spot already after new twist
With debate raging around who England’s number one goalkeeper will be for the European Championships next summer, Everton star Jordan Pickford has seen his chances boosted after Aaron Ramsdale was dropped.
The Arsenal goalkeeper was switched with David Raya for the clash at Goodison Park, hinting that he may no longer be the first choice at his club amid the battle for an England place.
Andy Townsend claimed on talkSPORT that the decision to rotate the goalkeepers could unsettle Ramsdale, suggesting it will be chipping away at him regardless of assurances he may have received from his manager.
Townsend claimed live on talkSPORT on 18 September: “It’s Champions League week, so whether or not Ramsdale automatically drops back in for that [we don’t know].
“What you don’t want to do is, you don’t want to unsettle your goalie. There’s normally a hierarchy with goalkeepers. You’ve normally got a one and a two.”
Before the international break just gone, there was little to no doubt that Pickford was Gareth Southgate’s number one goalkeeper. That fact likely remains true, but after Ramsdale started in the game against Scotland, many had suggested he should be the first-choice at the Euros.
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Chris Sutton claimed he would take Ramsdale over Pickford “every day of the week” when discussing the choice between the two on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast [14 September], calling the Arsenal man “a more accomplished goalkeeper”.
Pickford, however, has remained Southgate’s first choice, and likely the first name on the team sheet, ever since his heroics in the penalty shootout with Colombia in the 2018 World Cup, and has continued to deliver consistently impressive performances in an England shirt.
Now, though, his chances of remaining the first-choice next summer have received a huge boost after Mikel Arteta’s decision, which will be a welcome one to both the Everton shot-stopper and fans of his.
In other Everton news, a £575,000 p/w development has emerged around Farhad Moshiri’s loan debts.