Amidst reports that Arsenal are not willing to extend Aaron Ramsey’s contract at the club, which expires at the end of the season, the Welsh international faces the prospect of a new beginning after 10 years at the North London club.
Following a series of deleted tweets from his representing agency, it looks apparent that the new hierarchy at Arsenal do not see Ramsey in their long-term future. However, facts such as having scored two winners in FA Cup finals for the Gunners infer omitting Ramsey from the clubs long term plans may be a mistake.
Despite not having the technical prowess of Mesut Ozil or speed of Alexandre Laccazette, Ramsey’s consistency in terms of contributing goals and assists. Totalling 59 goals and 59 assists in his 339 appearances, the reliable Welshman and his positional versatility may be more of a valuable asset than many think while Arsenal undergo their managerial transition as Unai Emery inherits a system handcrafted by Arsene Wenger during his 22 years at the club.
On two occasions Wenger made the judgement call to extend Ramsey’s contract twice in previous years and the contribution of 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games last season would be considered a healthy return for the 27-year-old. There are many examples of conflicting interests when a new manager and his backroom staff inherit a squad who have been schooled in a certain way for so long.
With new midfield competition in the form of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torriera, it’s clear the stylistic differences between Ramsey and the type of player Emery wants to see in the middle of the park. While Ramsey has been excused from the Europa League group stage match v Qarabag Agdam on Thursday evening, and shouldn’t be over-analysed as squad rotation is natural in such games. The questions lie in Ramsey’s medium to long-term future.
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