Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey a key deduction from summer budget

Arsenal’s summer budget is not extensive, and if Aaron Ramsey’s deal would dip into it, that sucks. But it’s better than the alternative.

Arsenal had two key things they needed to accomplish this summer. The first was finding a competent manager who knew how to move this club forward. The second was extending Aaron Ramsey. 

The first thing is taken care of. Now we are onto the second thing, which is apparently moving along nicely, with a five-year deal on the table for Ramsey and being negotiated. Maybe by the time I finish this article, it will already be agreed. I can only hope.

However, that new deal is going to come out of the Gunners’ summer transfer budget. That’s a bummer, and it may be something that you kind of dread, but this is an absolute key deduction from the summer budget, as slim as it is.

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There are two options – sell him this summer, or use some of that money to keep him and build around him. Given the production he has proven he can deliver, there shouldn’t be much question from anyone what the better option is.

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The difference between selling him and having to replace him and just paying him to stay is vast. It is so, so much cheaper to simply pay the man and keep him in town than it would be to go find someone who can do what he does. Because guess what? You won’t find it.

You’d need more than one person, because if you’re only getting £40m for Ramsey because of his deal only having one year left, you are going to have to pack that £40m with a significant chunk of our existing transfer budget to recoup the loss from his sale.

If keeping Ramsey and getting him a five-year deal is going to be deducted from the summer transfer budget, then so be it. It’s necessary, it’s a major boost, and it’s a big piece to the puzzle that Unai Emery is already trying to solve.

This midfield has needs enough as it is, not even factoring in a potential Ramsey exit. If Ramsey were to be sold, the price to fix the midfield would grow exponentially. It’s not something the team can handle right now.

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So yes, pay the man, even if that comes out of the transfer budget. Because it would save us far more than it would cost us in the long run.