Aaron Ramsey made 371 appearances for Arsenal before moving to Juventus last summer (Getty Images)
A recent report by BBC sent Arsenal fans around the world in a shock. The report has claimed that a four-year agreement was in place but before the final contract was drawn up, Arsenal pulled out.
As a result, Aaron Ramsey, whose contract will expire next June, could either leave the Gunners in January for a cut-price fee or depart for free in the summer.
Should that happen, here are three players Arsenal must consider to replace the Welshman.
A recent report in The Sun had claimed that Arsenal have made Ever Banega their priority target for the winter transfer window and if that’s true, the timing couldn’t be better. Banega is an experienced player, who has been one of the La Liga’s top midfielders in the past decade.
Critics might argue that he is 30 but last season, he played 42 games for Sevilla in all competitions. His excellent vision and passing range allow him to act as the ideal deep-lying playmaker. Across all competitions in the previous term, he completed more than 2700 passes with an accuracy of 87%. Also, he successfully made 64 tackles, completed 119 dribbles, made 17 interceptions and racked up 19 clearances.
Banega’s contract expires next June, meaning the Gunners could get him for a cut-price deal this January. Moreover, Banega was one of Unai Emery’s generals at Sevilla, playing a key role as Emery led the club to three consecutive Europa League titles.
The most spectacular replacement for Ramsey would be none other than Verratti. The 25-year-old Italian wouldn’t come cheap and convincing him to switch Paris for London midway through the season will be an impossible job. But even if the Gunners get him next season, he will be a dream signing for the club.
No Ligue 1 player has registered more touches or passes since Verratti joined PSG in 2012. Goals from the holy trinity of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe might be receiving all the plaudits but Verratti runs the game for the club.
He did miss a large chunk of last season with an injury but in the 2016/17 season, he was one of the brightest sparks for the French giants. In 28 league games, he scored 3 goals and provided 5 assists. Also, he completed over 2100 passes with an accuracy of 88%, which also included 39 key passes.
If Arsenal do get Verratti, he has the potential to make Arsenal a contender for the league title. But for that, Arsenal might have to break the bank.
An absolutely astronomical long-shot, but if Arsenal really want to re-assert themselves as title favourites, they have to negotiate an impossible deal with Serie A club Lazio. As per Calciomercato, the player is valued at a staggering €100million.
Milinkovic-Savic was one of the stand-out players in the Serie A last season. He started 33 games in the league and scored 12 goals and assisted 3 more. In this time frame, he had 50 shots on target, completed 55 dribbles and made 52 key passes. He impressed with Serbia during the World Cup as well, as he started all 3 games in the group stages.
Milinkovic-Savic is only 23, meaning his arrival could well take Arsenal’s midfield back to those days of Vierra and Overmars.
