Arsenal: There is now no bigger task than Aaron Ramsey

As Arsenal begin to make plans for the summer transfer window, there is one thing clear in my mind: There is no bigger task than Aaron Ramsey and his contract.

Aaron Ramsey was brilliant against CSKA Moscow. Obviously, there was highlight-grabbing, backheel-twirling, superlative-writing goal. But more than just the standout moments, his drive, his energy, his dynamism off the ball, his deliberate and intentional work through the midfield. They were all plain for all to see. And wonderfully so.

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For Arsenal, though, with every remarkable performance the marauding Welshman puts in, the looming problem that, predictably, they haven’t answered, only rears its head further. Ramsey’s contract has a little over a year remaining. We have, sadly, been here before.

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Arsene Wenger has also been here before. And like before, he is unwaveringly confident that a new deal can be thrashed out between club and player. I’m sure I need not remind you that Wenger has said the very same things about many a player in the past, only for a deal not to be thrashed out and for the player to depart. Nevertheless, this is what he said to the media after the Moscow midfield masterclass:

"“We are communicating. I am confident. He is not [at the] end of [his] contract. He has one and a half years to go. On my side that is clear. We always have to find agreements. We want him to stay because he is one of the guys who has been here for a long time and will be an important player in the future of the club.”"

I, as you might have guessed, do not quite share the same confidence as Wenger. Though this is a little different to the Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez scenarios a year prior, of which one ended successfully and the other most certainly didn’t, there is a growing sense that Ramsey may want to try his prime at another club. I would not blame him.

For me, there is now not a bigger task for the Gunners than tying down Ramsey to a long-term deal. With Ozil secured, two star strikers signed and a blossoming core developing, continuity is now the name of the game. The problem with that is that is requires security of the future, something that neither Ramsey nor Wenger have.

While there are major holes at various positions, from centre-half to a natural winger, it is Ramsey and his possible departure that is the biggest concern for me. He plays the most important position on the pitch, he still hasn’t reached his best form, something that will only come if injuries ever steer clear, not that that is guaranteed, and he will cost at least £40 million to successfully replace.

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Ramsey must stay. That is an imperative. Wenger seems confident that such an imperative will be met. I am less sure. But one thing that we agree on is that it is of the utmost importance. Time, like it always does, will tell.