Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey Vacation Worth Scrutinizing

Arsenal have a very talented man in Aaron Ramsey, but his recent vacation destination may be much more than just a casual getaway.

Anyone who follows Pain in the Arsenal should know by now that I am not one to blow things out of proportion. I don’t buy into the connotations of podium rubbish. I don’t buy into many transfer rumors. I also don’t buy into players leaving Arsenal. But I do buy into the lack of certainty surrounding Aaron Ramsey’s future at the club. When considering his statements and the buzz around the media regarding a Ramsey move to Barcelona, there is reason to sweat.

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Add to those reasons the fact that Ramsey spent the weekend in Barcelona at a rather poor time.

I’m not here to tell Ramsey that he can’t go see beautiful cathedrals if he wants to. He has that right, clearly. But given the speculation and the volatile state he is in at the club right now, timing could have been better.

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For starters, since his injury, Ramsey’s place has been taken by Mohamed Elneny, who has actually done a superb job at the role. Arguably better than Ramsey, as he maintains possession better and even managed to snatch a goal at the Nou Camp.

It remains to be seen where Ramsey will play when he returns, but the initial impulse is that he will play out wide, opposite Alexis Sanchez. That is not particularly dazzling when considering that the Barcelona rumors first emerged when Ramsey was initially moved out wide last year. It was at that time that Ramsey responded to Barcelona speculation by saying something along the lines of “it’s flattering, I’d love to play in Spain some day. But not now.”

Hardly a conclusive retort.

Not helping the growing mountain of concern is the fact that Luis Enriquez is making it a point to turn his midfield into an energetic pack. That was the objective when he replaced pass-master Xavi with workhorse Ivan Rakitic. Now that Andres Iniesta is aging, linking Aaron Ramsey is far from farcical. It is also not too unreasonable to think that Ramsey didn’t pay a trip to the Nou Camp to have a chat or two while on vacation. Although I doubt that will make his Instagram page.

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Former Welsh footballer Ian Rush is of the opinion that Ramsey would walk right into the Barcelona starting XI. His play style fits in with a team like Barcelona, who gets forward and pelts the goal with steady build up play. Ramsey’s biggest flaw at Arsenal is that he gets too far forward and loses out on opponents counter attacks.

That kind of behavior would fit in perfectly with what Barcelona run, even more-so than Arsenal. As a dominant, possession-oriented team, they have no qualms letting their midfielders bombard forward to help in the attack. Arsenal would love to allow for that freedom, but given their defensive status, they can’t.

There is significant credence in these Aaron Ramsey rumors. If he is again forced out wide before the summer months and Barcelona make a hulking offer for the Welshman, he may bid Arsenal adieu and suit up opposite his Welsh counterpart, Gareth Bale.

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What do you think Gooners? Am I blowing this out of proportion or is this cause for concern? Leave a comment.