‘I was released because I couldn’t fill my shirt – now I’m dreaming of Prem title’

Aaron Ramsdale’s vibrant personality and excellent shot-stopping skills make him one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, but the Englishman was once deemed too small to make the cut.

Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale was let go by Bolton Wanderers as a teenager because he “couldn’t fill the shirt”.

The Gunners goalkeeper is regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League since signing for the north Londoners in 2021. Most notably, his crucial saves and excellent distribution made him a vital cog in kick-starting Mikel Arteta’s revolution.

But the England goalkeeper also faced doubts throughout his career, especially after suffering three relegations early on with Bournemouth and Sheffield United.

And the 25-year-old has now opened up about a stunning tale in which he was released by Bolton as a teenager for being so small he could barely fit into his jersey.

Writing in the Players’ Tribune, Ramsdale revealed: “When I was 15 years old, I was released by Bolton because I couldn’t even fill the shirt. I was so small that I looked like I was wearing my dad’s kit. I went around to five or six other clubs in the area, and every single one rejected me.

“It was so embarrassing. All I ever talked about in school was football, and how I was going to be a keeper. I had this amazing English teacher named Mr. Kerr, and he always used to let me relate every single topic in class to football.

He’d let me rattle on about West Brom or Chelsea for 10 minutes, and somehow relate it back to what we were learning.

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