Aaron Ramsey joined Arsenal in 2008 for a mere £5million from Cardiff City. Now, 11 years on and the Welshman is leaving for free with Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG and many others after his signature. For Arsenal, this is easily a bigger blow than losing Alexis Sanchez as they got Henrikh Mkhitaryan in return, but losing a captain and a star as good as Ramsey could be a grave error.
Despite Unai Emery’s insistence that the midfielder will stay till the end of the season, Calciomercato has already reported that Juventus and the Arsenal star have come to an agreement regarding salary and other extras. However, while nothing has been confirmed yet, it looks like the 28-year-old is on his way out of the Emirates and with it, Arsenal’s future if one must be so bleak.
The Gunners don’t have a bonafide replacement for Ramsey. While both Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi can fill the midfield, few have the Welshman’s ability in front of the goal, which makes him so popular. Ramsey’s late runs into the box have made him Arsenal’s highest scoring midfielder with 62 goals in all competitions and to add to that, 63 assists.
That makes him a valuable asset to any side and Arsenal will have to spend heavily to replace either now or next summer, depending on when he leaves. But all in all, one thing is for certain – Arsenal will regret not giving him the deal that was on the table a few months ago. With Mesut Ozil falling out with Unai Emery, according to the Independent, Arsenal will have a serious issue and the need to fix it is palpable.
Losing Ramsey could mean losing a few fans, as if nothing else, they’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster with the Welshman. From watching him make his debut to the leg break against Stoke City eight years, all the way to the comeback and FA Cup final goals, Aaron Ramsey has embodied himself into modern Arsenal folklore and made himself immortal to Gooners around the world.
Losing that, more than anything would be a massive blow. However, replacing that will be the biggest thing Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi will have ever done.
