Arsenal: Learn from Alexis Sanchez; bite bullet on Aaron Ramsey

Last summer, Arsenal held onto Alexis Sanchez even though he had just one year remaining on his contract. They must learn their lesson this year and bite the bullet on Aaron Ramsey if he refuses a new deal.

About this time last year, I was campaigning for Arsenal to keep Alexis Sanchez beyond the summer transfer window, even if he was unwilling to sign a new contract.

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My thinking was simple. He had played a lot of games. He was nearing the dreaded cliff-edge of 30. He, I believed, would still be motivated given that he would be playing for one final move to end the prime of his career, a prime that I considered to be shorter than many others. He would be near irreplaceable after a 24 goal and 10 assist league season.

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I was wrong. Arsenal did keep Alexis into the final year of his contract, rejecting a strong advance from Manchester City on transfer deadline amid fears that they would be unable to sign a viable replacement before the 11 PM deadline. It did not work out well for them. He was distracted, unmotivated, disruptive in the dressing room, and noticeably divisive among many of his teammates. His performance levels dropped, his commitment waned, and he was ultimately allowed to leave at the very last chance, with the club desperate to recoup any semblance of value.

And now the Gunners face a very similar scenario this summer. This time, it’s Aaron Ramsey, not Alexis Sanchez. But the conditions are comparable. He is coming off a year in which he was named Arsenal’s Player of the Season. He is attracting interest from a wide range of clubs both domestically and on the continent, almost all of which are in the Champions League. There have been almost no developments in contract discussions.

It is quite conceivable that Ramsey, like Alexis a year prior, does not want to stay in north London. He is now 27. He is at the peak of his powers and he toils away in a team sliding down the Premier League, out of the Champions League, and without the man who had fathered his career up until this point.

Arsenal, then, must learn their lesson from a year ago. They may look at the Mesut Ozil case and believe that they can convince Ramsey to sign a new deal, even as he enters the final few months of his deal and can begin speaking to other teams. But if they have any inkling that Ramsey will act more like Alexis and not Ozil, then they must bite the bullet and sell, even at a reduced rate.

Thankfully, according to a report in The Sun, which, admittedly, is a little bit of a tenuous link and should be read with a rather hefty grain of salt, that is the stance that the club is taking. If they believe that Ramsey will not sign a new deal under any circumstances, then they are willing to sell. That, for me, is vital.

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Selling is not necessarily a backwards step. It is never nice to see the best players leave and it obviously doesn’t help the progression of the squad in the immediate term. But if sold for the right price and done so in a manner that allows other talent to blossom and re-investment to re-shape the team, it can actually benefit the team. That is what Arsenal must be willing to do with Ramsey. Sell, but sell well.