Why Arsenal need Aaron Ramsey to commit to a new deal
Published:
Ahead of Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Everton last weekend, all the build-up understandably focused on new boys Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The former Borussia Dortmund duo were both very impressive, but Aaron Ramsey was the star of the show after bagging a hat-trick.
However, his contract is up next summer and reports suggest talks over an extension aren’t going as smoothly as Arsenal would like.
The Gunners recently made Mesut Ozil the best-paid player in the club’s history. And that means the rest of the squad could ask for bumper pay rises when negotiating their own deals.
At his best, Ramsey is a dominant presence in the middle. He’s very comfortable on the ball and has incredible energy. He’s got a knack of getting into goalscoring positions too, which will be very handy with Ozil and Mkhitaryan creating chances.
The 27-year-old has struggled with injuries but Arsene Wenger tends to find a way to get him into the team when he’s fit.
But if Ramsey hasn’t put pen to paper by the end of the season, the club might be tempted to cash in.
After the Ozil and Sanchez sagas, Arsenal may want to deal with the situation head on instead of letting it linger. There’ll be plenty of other teams sniffing around if there’s a chance to sign him.
Having developed the Welshman since he was a teenager, it would be a huge shame if another side took advantage of his talent.
Granit Xhaka’s poor form makes it even more important that he stays. Jack Wilshere looks likely to sign a new deal, but his injury history means it’s hard to rely on him just yet.
Arsenal may now have little choice but to give Ramsey what he wants to get him to sign on.
Ramsey’s in line to start for Arsenal in Saturday’s North London derby. He’s 10/3 to score Anytime against Tottenham Hotspur.
All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
