Aaron Ramsdale reveals threats received after joining Arsenal from Sheffield United as he discusses World Cup dream

Ramsdale joined the Gunners after the Blades’ relegation was confirmed, after months of negotiations that effectively ended when the England international went on strike and refused to play for United away at West Bromwich Albion.

Although that admission, and other comments made on a podcast with Ben Foster, did not endear Ramsdale to Unitedites, the move has certainly paid off and he has since established himself as Arsenal’s No.1, earning a first England cap and putting himself in a good position to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.

But it wasn’t plain sailing from the beginning. "At the very start it was difficult," said Ramsdale, who joined Arsenal on the back of successive relegations with Bournemouth and the Blades.

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"I had a lot of negativity around the signing, with idiots online saying: ‘Don't sign’. Not necessarily death threats but threats saying: ‘We know where you live' and things like that. Trying to scare me.

"Quite quickly I turned all that stuff off. Social media for me is a place to communicate with my friends and with the fans as well, but with limits on who can actually reach me.

"It was safer for me, but also my family as well. My mum and dad are obviously on social media. They don't really know what they are doing, but it's quite easy for them to type in 'Ramsdale' on Twitter to get to my page and end up on a page where there is a lot of negativity and abuse.

“And then they read it and get upset. So it did make me feel a lot safer."

‘Best and worst job in the world’

Ramsdale’s move to London is covered extensively in the new Amazon series ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal', which launches tomorrow [August 4].

Asked what he hopes fans will take from the documentary, he replied: "How hard it is to be a footballer.

"One of the best jobs in the world, but one of the worst at the same time. Don't get me wrong, this isn't me preaching like: ‘Oh everyone feel sorry for us’. But the time away from families, kids and living out of a suitcase, travelling...

"I just hope that from what comes out they get to see that we are just human, and you get to see us enjoying ourselves but that at times we are suffering together. I think that's the hardest thing to get out.

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"Everyone thinks football is easy, you're on the pitch two or three hours and you go home, but it's just not like that."

On his hopes of making the World Cup this winter, Ramsdale added: "I'm in and around it at the moment.

"But things can change very quickly, especially this season there is going to be Jordan Pickford, myself, Sam Johnstone, Dean Henderson, Nick Pope and probably some others.

"There are probably going to be five or six English goalkeepers trying to get on the plane. So although I'm around at the moment, I need to keep myself there.”

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