When Aaron Ramsdale first joined Arsenal, it's no secret that fans around the Premier League, those at The Emirates included, were left slightly bemused by the fact that a goalkeeper had completed a move to a top six club off the back of back-to-back relegations.

Yet, low and behold, and much to his credit, Ramsdale has cemented his place as the starting shot-stopper for one of the Premier League's top clubs. It is arguably the greatest sign of his character that he managed to block out the noise of criticism to establish himself as Mikel Arteta's number one.

Two years on from his move, Ramsdale has spoken about the initial backlash, and more in his Players' Tribune article.

What did Aaron Ramsdale say?

Speaking about his Arsenal move, Ramsdale spoke about the criticism that he received, saying in his Players' Tribune article: "When I think back on joining Arsenal, I don’t have the same stories as the other lads. I’ve seen players saying, “Oh yeah, Wenger rang me up.” Or talking about fans showing up outside their house singing their names.

"But my story? Honestly? When the news came out, the only thing I can remember is the entire world telling me that I was absolute sh*t."

As Arsenal's interest grew, Ramsdale explained how he started to get more attention in the media: "Then I come back from training, and I go to pick up my phone, and it’s hot. Like, really hot. And I see about 100 notifications. That little bird. Ping, ping, ping. I’m like, “What’s happening?” Instagram. Ping, ping, ping. I’m used to maybe 15 or 20 notifications a day back then. (And three are from my mum.) Ping, ping, ping. I go to my Twitter, and I see that the news has leaked, and I am getting absolutely roasted."

Ramsdale also took the opportunity to speak on important issues outside of football, particularly the homophobic abuse that the LGBTQ+ community face.

He said: "My brother is gay, and he’s lived his life in an open and authentic way since he went off to school. I’m so proud to say he’s my brother. I haven’t talked about it before, but with everything going on in football right now, I thought it was important to mention.

"Oliver is a lot like me, in many ways. He’s a regular bloke. Loves football. Loves knocking about with his mates. Loves the Gunners. He’s proud of me, and I’m really proud of him.

"Over the years, I’ve probably bit my tongue a few too many times — both in dressing rooms and on social media — whenever I hear homophobic comments or stupid things being said. And I think maybe my brother has done the same, thinking it would make my life easier.

"Well, all that ends today."

Adding to an already emotional article, the goalkeeper also revealed that his wife had a miscarriage mid-way through last season, after he'd taken a short holiday following the winter World Cup.

"On the flight home, my wife had a miscarriage," Ramsdale said.

"There’s really no way that I can describe the pain of that six-hour flight back to London, even now. I just want people out there to know that they’re not alone if they’re going through it themselves. When we got back, I didn’t tell many people what happened. Only my family, my teammates, and of course Mikel. He was fantastic about everything. Even in the middle of the title race, with so much pressure on the club, he asked me if I needed some time off to deal with everything. Mikel went above and beyond to make sure me and my family were OK.

"For me, that’s a manager."

What's more, three days later he started the north London derby away at Tottenham Hotspur and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win and was then kicked by a rival fan after the full-time whistle – which serves as a great reminder of how people should never forget just what footballers might be going through off the pitch.

When does Arsenal's season start?

With pre-season now over, Arsenal and Ramsdale's attention must turn to the Community Shield, where they'll be looking to gain the first edge over Manchester City ahead of what could be another back-and-forth Premier League title race.

If things go anything like last season for Ramsdale, in particular, then the shot-stopper is set to have a standout campaign once again at The Emirates.

Even in the face of initial criticism, Ramsdale has proven the haters wrong to become a permanent fixture in Arteta's side.