Ramsey is leaving? Is there a reason why the club withdrew its offer?
I’m not sure what to think of this Ramsey situation.
I have several thoughts on this issue, which transcend a number of areas.
But I’m not really bothered about Ramsey going. It’s not to say I don’t rate him.
I do feel he is a sound player. Is he world class? No. Though, granted, world class is a relative term. I define it as amongst the best players in the world at a given time, based on form, career success, and output. So as far as mids go, Kante, Modric, Casemiro, Busquets, Kroos, and Pogba, are world class in my eyes. Pogba hasn’t torn it up at Man U, but then he did win the World Cup and was a pivotal part of that team.
Ramsey, whilst good, is not top-top bracket IMHO. To paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson (when describing Gerrard’s career status), he’s a top player, but not a top top player.
Legend
I can understand why some deem Ramsey an Arsenal legend. Yes, he scored winners in the FA Cup wins of 2014 and 2017.
But I guess legend, like world class, is subjective. For me, a legend is a player who has performed above and beyond all others on a consistent basis. Seaman, Adams, Wright, Bergkamp, Pires, Henry, Vieira, etc. are all legends. O’Leary, Sansom, McLintock, etc. all figures from prior decades.
Ramsey, bar this 13/14 season, has not been consistent. Yes, we are THE Arsenal, and we’re out for trophies and glory. And those who help us win such should be welcomed and championed. So I get that part of it – but I see Ramsey’s inconsistencies as much as I see his winner vs. Hull, or header vs. Chelsea.
I think he’s done well for us overall, but then a legend is a stretch in my view.
“He didn’t want to sign….”
I made an article here a month or so ago, saying that speculation on Ramsey’s deal was unwarranted. It’s very simplistic to say Ramsey didn’t sign, therefore he didn’t want to.
Contract negotiations, and for jobs like professional football, can be complex. This includes various items like image rights and even peculiar quirks. We often hear instances of odd clauses in contracts, like having a certain kind of pre-match beverage, or a house, or car, or jewellery and toys for one’s wife and children. It sounds odd, but instances of these have been known to happen. Footballers are prime assets for any club, and satisfying them and ensuring they can deliver success is paramount.
Moreover, these discussions are naturally confidential, and we cannot know as fans that he “didn’t want to sign”.
If anything, the opposite is true, if Mr. Ornstein from the BBC is to be believed:
A new + improved 4yr contract was recently agreed between Arsenal & Aaron Ramsey. But #AFC withdrew offer, are now not in a position to proceed. Most likely he’ll leave for free next summer, unless the perfect opportunity for both parties arises in January https://t.co/5EXUoIsZx2
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) September 27, 2018
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Part of the angst amongst some here may be due to jumping the gun.
I guess it’s just lessons, from us and other clubs. Players are human, and we can only gauge what happens when things are finalised and made public.
Didn’t Sol Campbell say on live TV post-match that he was staying at Spurs? We ALL know how that turned out, to our eternal credit and glee. There are numerous other cases, and we cannot second-guess when we don’t have a clue what’s going on.
The tweet above leads to the next point.
Why did the club withdraw the contract?
Ramsey clearly wanted to stay. The club was keen to keep him, and Ramsey hasn’t said he wants to go.
So then, why did the club retract the offer?
It cannot be his attitude, though again we don’t know this. Though few current or ex-players have said he has a bad attitude, nor has Wenger or Emery now.
And he is a good player, so it cannot be since he’s rubbish.
Could another player be on the horizon? Possibly.
It could be a scenario akin to Wilshere. Wilshere was going to be lower on the pecking order due to tactical reasons, as per Emery’s discussions with him.
Maybe Emery is thinking that he and Ozil imbalance the team, and we need a new direction.
This is speculation of course. But then the club must have its reasons for withdrawing the offer. Or we would hope.
It could that the club has itemised wages for a new incoming player, which would have been used on Ramsey. Again, this is moot, but it’s a possibility nonetheless.
Where can he go?
Concerning the other top six clubs in our country, I cannot see Tottenham getting him. They don’t need goals from midfield. Chelsea is a goer, as is Manchester United. City and Liverpool don’t need him, and maybe Everton at a stretch if they are looking to get into the top six and eventually top four.
Much was made a few years ago of him going to Barca. I don’t think this is realistic, even if Busquets is over 30. That said, Vermaelen is in their team and is a valued squad player there, and Ramsey at least is a valued player at Arsenal. Vermaelen, with all respect to him, seldom was. They even got Song and Hleb from us. This isn’t to disrespect Ramsey, but I cannot see Barca, or Real Madrid (even with compatriot Bale there), Juve, or Bayern, getting him.
PSG is a possibility, though my hunch is for Chelsea or Manchester United.
Maybe we could do a swap with Jose for Pogba. Pogba may thrive better at Arsenal than he has at Man U.
Is the club dithering again?
I think the issue with Ramsey is not like that with Alexis/Ozil.
Ozil is still here, so the club cannot be blamed for that.
Alexis was half-wrong, so to speak. We accepted a bid from City on the last day of the window, though I feel we should have just sold him early in the window instead.
But he did eventually go, of course.
I just trust the club has solid and credible reasons for ending the process.
The only people who know the full truth are Mr. Emery, Mr. Sanhelli, and Ramsey and his agent.
Until then, is it even wise to play him? If he’s not needed, then why use him as a key asset?
If the club has a top replacement in its stead (Pogba….well I can dream, can’t I?), then fine.
But we just need to watch this space.
And our Arsenal space is never dull, is it?
MarbleHallsTV is an Arsenal social media account on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Been a Gooner since the 90s, inspired by Ian Wright, then Bergkamp, Vieira, Henry, Pires, Campbell, Rosicky, Koscielny, Ozil and Sanchez. A digital marketer/entrpreneur by profession, born in UK living in the Americas now.
One of Wenger legacy is his team link up play in the final third. He has a philosophy that scoring a goal or assisting are same for strikers. One unique example is how he turns Giroud to world champion striker without even scoring a goal. Giroud is a strange kind of striker for many coaches. So we can rest assured that Arsene philosophy of selfless, well linked strikers as unique to him. There is no shame for Arsenal and Emery to continue building on that. I have seen some encouraging signs against Everton, this legacy of Arsene and Arsenal could continue.
Ramsey is now allowed to play at the heart of this unique structure. Needless to say many of us know his playing style, skills and attitude do not perfectly fit to that system. His attitude of scoring a goal himself than prioritizing better positioned players irritated some to the level that overshadowed his tremendous strength of overcoming his leg injuries. Currently, I strongly believe he is a much different personality in this regard. He is trying to improve on link up game and quick passes but he is not top level as demanded by the job he is assigned for. As Many have said he is simply a decent box to box player.
Looking the way Emery is build around the middle – Torriera and Xhaka – i.e. one interceptor one distributor, I see no place for Ramsey there. As things stand, It is a rational decision not to splash a huge sum of money on him unless we are emotionally connected to him or he improves the level of his game in the final third. The three players behind the striker, Aubameyang, Ozil, Ramsey all are playing out of positions. So it is a big ask for the team to settle down under the new coach.