Nice to hear from you again Alex, I always enjoy your presentations and this one is a level headed, balanced assessment of Aaron Ramsey and his contribution to the club. I am saddened about his exit because I believe that he had an unrequited love affair with the club that was about to bear fruit. Just look at our performances when Emery began playing him regularly. We had 10 winning games in a row and had moved to third in the league. After he got injured we sufffered 3 defeats in a row in the Premiership and we are now 5th with 2 games to go. Our future is in Chelsea`s hand`s as to whether we make the top 4 unless we win the `Loser`s` cup.
He was not a Walcott or Sanchez because he played his heart out to the end and some of his final season performances were fabulous. For me our goal of the season was the one he initiated with a pass from near the half way line and finished off in the penalty box by letting a cross pass behind his front foot and side tapping it in with a flick of his trailing foot. `Genius`, a move Messi would have been proud of. Despite his horrendous injury against Stoke in 2013, he did not hold back in his challenges and he charged into the penalty box where the feet were flying and still had enough composure to make slick one-two passes.
Walcott cannot maintain a regular place in Everton`s team and Sanchez is unloved by his manager and the fans because they are both mercenaries who held the club to ransom. Ozil in a different way, is somewhat similar because they got what they wanted when they each negotiated a contract which in their estimation, is what their best performances merited. Unfortunately Walcott and Sanchez have not lived up to their hyped opinion of them selves.
I appreciate that Ramsey waited for some time before he finally ran out of time and Arsenal pullled the plug. I am not privy to the reasons why the club pulled the contract but I was disappointed because he was actually playing to his best at the time. Moreover I have seen accounts from what seems to have been well sourced writers in which it is claimed that he was prepared to settle for £250k per week. In the modern game that is a fair rate for someone who is capable of playing to that standard regularly. I know that anytime I saw him coming on as a sub, he made an immediate difference.
Guendouzi is a stellar signing for the money Arsenal paid, but he is not the finished article. Playing with Ramsey would have ensured that he learnt the art of box-to box midfield play. Ramsey almost carried Wales to the finals of the European Championship. Wales took my team N. Ireland out when we had played well above our weight. Throughout that tournament, he was arguably the best and most effective midfielder in the competition.
In a way, we did not lose or waste the opportunity to sell him a season earlier, because I do not believe that he owed the club anything. He was paid a decent wage for his profession while he was with us but it was only slightly better than the rates similar players were getting at their clubs. The only loser in the decision to run his contract down was the club. I am certain that we would have been out of reach of Chelsea and within touch of Spurs, had he not missed the final games of the season. That is how valuable he was.
I wish him well and it will be interesting to see if he suffers hamstrings playing for Juventus. I have always thought that there was a defect in the training regime which produced a conveyor belt of players for the medical room.
A sophisticated, articulate Arsenal Man of Mystery. Aged 70 and a bit.
Thank goodness, there is someone who supports Arsenal, actually knows what he’s talking about.
Aaron Ramsey, A’s Ian Wright said ‘Never hides.’ Yes, he could be somewhat frustrating at times, but if you took a survey amongst the Arsenal players now, they would all express their disappointment at him leaving. I have always said that he should have been made captain at least 3 or 4 seasons ago; I will miss him when he leaves because he is probably the only midfielder at Arsenal who has goals in him; you can’t say that about Elneny or Guendosie who apart from being goal shy, lack badly in the assists as well.
Good luck to him, I’m just sorry that his Arsenal career ended this way; he deserved better and has got that by signing for Juventus.