by Aaron Ramsdale was moved to tears after receiving a warm welcome from the Arsenal crowd on his first return to the Emirates Stadium.
Ramsdale left the Gunners for Southampton in a £25 million deal over the summer after losing his place to David Raya.
The England international was a favorite with Arsenal fans and received plenty of applause and chants before kick-off of Saturday’s Premier League match in north London.
A visibly emotional Ramsdale was seen wiping away tears with his gloves, before giving a thumbs up and winking to the crowd. However, the goalkeeper was unable to prevent his Southampton side from avoiding a 3-1 defeat after initially taking a shock lead.
Asked if he had spoken to Ramsdale after the match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta replied: “[I] I just wished him all the best and Southampton all the best for the way they played as well.
“I hope they (get the best) for the manager and Aaron as well because they are a very good team.”
Ramsdale revealed earlier this week that he moved to Southampton because he wanted more regular first-team football.
“If I were sitting on the bench, it would be [winning a trophy] it wouldn’t have meant much to me,” he told BBC Football Focus.
“I just wanted to play football. When I was a kid, I wanted to play football for the sake of playing, not just for sitting on a bench. My goal was to go out and play, so I’m lucky to end up here.
