Aaron Ramsdale remains out of Southampton squads as Eckert backs Peretz

Aaron Ramsdale has yet to make a Southampton matchday squad this season, leaving the former Arsenal and England goalkeeper outside the club’s current selection plans. BBC Sport reported on 28 September that the 28-year-old had missed all 10 squads across the Championship and EFL Cup and had not played a competitive game for five months. His absence matters because a goalkeeper signed for £25 million two years ago is now seeking a way back into the team.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has backed Daniel Peretz as his first-choice goalkeeper and given George Long the second-choice role, according to comments reported by The Ugly Inside earlier this month. Eckert described Jamie Jones as a training goalkeeper with an important role around the squad. BBC Sport describes Ramsdale as fourth choice; the club has not said when, or whether, that order might change.

What Eckert has said

Eckert told BBC Radio Solent, in remarks reported by BBC Sport, that Ramsdale’s story at Southampton began before his own tenure. He said the two had held honest conversations from the first day of pre-season through the end of the transfer window. Ramsdale’s expectation, Eckert said, was to support the team, and he had been professional in doing so.

The Ugly Inside’s 7 September account of Eckert’s pre-match comments gives more detail about the other goalkeepers. Eckert said Peretz was number one and that his commitment to Long in a number-two role still stood. He said Jones brought experience to the dressing room and had joined mainly as a training goalkeeper. On Ramsdale, Eckert said he was part of the group and had been professional.

From Arsenal regular to Southampton returnee

Ramsdale’s position is a sharp change from his Arsenal years. BBC Sport says he made 89 appearances for the London club and kept 32 clean sheets. He was named in the Professional Footballers’ Association team of the year and won goalkeeper of the year at the 2023 London Football Awards. He has also won five England caps, although he did not play during Euro 2024.

Arsenal brought in David Raya from Brentford in 2023, and Ramsdale lost his starting place. He joined Southampton for £25 million in August 2024. BBC Sport reports that he then played 30 league matches in a Premier League season that ended with Southampton’s relegation. His move had offered regular top-flight football after his place at Arsenal had disappeared.

Ramsdale spent 2025/26 on loan at Newcastle United before returning to Southampton. BBC Sport records 23 appearances in all competitions there, including 12 in the Premier League. The loan did not provide an uninterrupted run as Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper, and his return put him in a Southampton squad where Peretz had become the established starter.

What could change

BBC Sport reports that Ramsdale turned down summer loan offers from clubs in England, Spain and Italy. According to that report, he wants to help Southampton seek promotion and believes there is a route back into the first team. It says he is willing to fight for his place until at least January, when the transfer window opens. Those are his reported intentions, not a promise of selection or a confirmed transfer plan.

Former Bournemouth teammate Asmir Begovic told BBC Sport that Ramsdale was a ‘fantastic goalkeeper’ who had performed at the highest level. Begovic said the lack of playing time would be ‘very difficult and frustrating’ and that Ramsdale would need to train, stay fit and be ready if an opportunity arose. He also cautioned that a possible move in January would not be straightforward.

For now, the clearest measures of Ramsdale’s standing are Eckert’s public description of his goalkeepers and the matchday squads: Peretz has the manager’s backing, while Ramsdale has not been selected. Neither the club’s squad list nor Eckert’s comments establish a private reason for Ramsdale’s exclusion or a timetable for his return. His next chance depends on decisions that Southampton has yet to announce.