Aaron Ramsey: A Season Review

Aaron Ramsey has been a revelation this season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Welshman. Some fans were beginning to feel this could have been another one of Wenger’s young buys who hadn’t fulfilled their potential, but he is now favourite to receive Arsenal’s player of the Season award.

So how did he change it all around?

Firstly it’s important to note the raw statistics. Ramsey scored 16 goals in 34 appearances and claimed an assist on a further 10 goals, brilliant statistics for a midfielder. Arsenal won 24 of those 34 appearances, a win ratio of 70.5% with only 7 defeats in that time. When the dynamic midfielder was absent from the squad, that win ratio fell to 59% in all competitions. This statistic is even worse when looking purely at the league results, as Arsenal only managed 7 wins in the 14 Premier League matches they had without Ramsey in the squad.

Arsenal won just 7 of the 14 league games Ramsey was not involved in

Ultimately this is the period of games that lost Arsenal a chance at running for the title at the season’s end. Arsenal finished 7 points off of the top, and with heavy losses against Chelsea and Liverpool and a point at home to City in this period of games you have to wonder if Ramsey could have helped change the fortune of the Arsenal side in these games.

I think you also have to look at when he contributed. Consistent performances are one thing but turning up against the big teams is also important. He scored a vital winning goal against Borussia Dortmund in the group stages of the Champions League and scored 3 of Arsenals 5 goals in qualifying for the Champions League. He also popped up in the FA Cup final to score the winner in extra time to bring Arsenal their first piece of silverware in almost 9 years.

This season would not seem such a big deal if it was not for the fact it is such a massive improvement on previous performances. This season he has averaged at 170 minutes per goal, which most midfielders would be pleased with. If we include assists in this it turns out to 104 minutes on the pitch per goal generated. In the 12/13 season this was 450 minutes, and the season before it stood at 350 minutes. It seems Arsene Wenger is moving Ramsey forward to occupy a more attacking position, and the central role is one that Ramsey is enjoying.

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As a result of how well he has done his transfer value has gone through the roof and Wenger will want to keep hold of the Welshman despite heated interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and other big European clubs. His estimated transfer value has gone from £8.8 million in January of last year to £17.6m, and he seems to be worth every penny of that to Arsenal.

Arsenal fans will hope that he can stay fit for the entire campaign next season and that Wenger can bring some big players in to help the push for more silverware in future years.

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