Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey could haunt Jack Wilshere decision

Aaron Ramsey is yet to sign a new contract. If Arsenal are forced to sell, it could haunt the decision to let Jack Wilshere earlier in the summer.

Oftentimes, it is the players that you choose to sell that are more important than the ones that you choose to buy. Don’t you think Chelsea are regretting selling Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah? Or what about Arsenal and the myriad of stars that have departed in recent years? Squad building is often about protection, not just spending sprees.

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And as Unai Emery looks to formulate his ideas and structure his squad for this new era at the Emirates, one of the key decisions that he has made in his first summer was to tell Jack Wilshere that he will not be a key part of the team next season.

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Speaking about how he came to the choice, Wilshere revealed that he chose to leave because of football:

"“I was at home. I had come out of the meeting with the new manager a few days before and I did not want to make a rash decision. I wanted to weigh things up, look at the pros and cons and take a few days to speak to my family. I could have stayed but the decision was based on football. I want to be in a team where I am important and play a big role, and I did not feel I had that at Arsenal.”"

Although it was ultimately Wilshere’s decision to leave — there was a contract on offer –, this was a situation that was engineered by Emery’s evaluation that he would not be needed next season.

It remains to be seen if that is the right evaluation or not, but if the Aaron Ramsey situation does not resolve itself nicely, then he could come to regret from a competitive ball has been kicked.

Ramsey has just a year remaining on his contract and is still ongoing in contract discussions with the club. There is no guarantee that he will sign a new deal. And if he doesn’t, Arsenal will be forced into selling, especially after the debacles of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil this time last year. If they sell Ramsey, they will have to find a replacement, but with three weeks and counting left to run before the August 9th deadline, will they be able to find one?

The Wilshere of today is not as good a player as Ramsey is — I actually believe that he was more talented and always had the greater potential, though injuries laid claim to that suggestion — and he is not a long-term replacement for Welshman. But if Ramsey was to leave and Arsenal were desperate for a stop-gap solution, they could do much worse than the slaloming academy product, especially if his ankles hold up.

Next: Arsenal: 3 reasons why Aaron Ramsey must be Unai Emery's linchpin

I am not saying that allowing Wilshere to walk was the wrong decision. I am not saying that he should have been kept with Ramsey sold. Simply, it could be a choice that Emery comes to regret should Ramsey choose to leave. It could haunt him.