Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey: Just pay the man

Aaron Ramsey put in another brilliant performance in the 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow. The Arsenal midfielder only established the point: It’s time to pay him.

From an attacking point of view, Arsenal were excellent on Thursday night. They dismantled CSKA Moscow with some lovely, free-flowing football that carved through the vast spaces in the midfield, cutting through the lines, sliding passes into the wide and wide-central channels, and creating a vast array of chances that perhaps should have resulted in more goals than the four that were scored.

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There were some defensive warts that cannot go overlooked, but, for the most part, this was a blistering display of attacking intention, creative distribution, and positional fluidity, and at the heart of it all was one Aaron Ramsey.

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While his two goals may take the plaudits and headlines, there was far more to the Welshman’s game than simply rippling the net twice, however crucial those goals may have been. He was extraordinarily busy: 85% pass completion rate, one key pass, completed his only dribble attempt of the game, three interceptions, won one of his two attempted tackles, seven shots-on-goal. Ramsey was the central element to everything that the Gunners did.

He also anticipated, took up, and then exploited spaces brilliantly throughout. Of the 57 passes that he completed, for instance, 42 of them were forwards. That is the highest percentage of forward-passes on the team. A look at his passes-received graphic would show you a player who was finding spaces at every level of the pitch, dropping deep, in between the CSKA midfield and defence, and even in behind the defence. In essence, this was a complete performance.

It leads me to say just one, fairly obvious thing: It’s time for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger to pay the man.

Like with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil a year prior, Ramsey, after this season, has just a year remaining on his current deal. There has not been much noise about ongoing negotiations, which either means they are not taking place, unlikely, or they are not going very well. The more cynical of you will, like myself, lean towards the latter. While it is pure speculation, it is not unreasonable to believe that Arsenal are low-balling Ramsey with an underwhelming offer, especially after they just dolled out £350,000-a-week to Mesut Ozil.

My hunch is that Ramsey, who is now 27 and is right in the prime of his career, is hesitant to stay. Injuries. A stagnating team. A manager who has perhaps lost his confidence. The chance to win trophies at other clubs. The success of a player like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Liverpool. I wonder if Ramsey is playing hard-to-get and Arsenal aren’t really chasing him.

Next: Arsenal Vs CSKA Moscow: 5 things we learned

It remains to be seen what will come of his fate and his future. But one thing, in my mind, is for certain: Ramsey needs to be paid, and fast.