Arsenal: Mateo Kovacic, Andre Gomes tandem safer than riding solo

Arsenal are inching closer to a potential Aaron Ramsey sale with each day that doesn’t amount to a new deal. This is a good way to amend that.

Arsenal still have not locked Aaron Ramsey down to a long-term deal, which is a mildly terrifying prospect. He isn’t a player that you simply replace unless you’re willing to drop a lot of money on it, which I don’t think the Gunners would be willing to do after how much they’ve already spent this summer.

Hypothetically, they could spend the same amount that they gain from selling Ramsey in the first place, but there aren’t a lot of big-time guys that are being shopped around.

Again, it’s not like it’s a simple thing to fix. Ramsey is a massive piece of this club and the prospect of replacing him is not something you want to do half-heartedly.

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Max Meyer’s name has been tossed about, and it certainly seems like a decent enough option, especially seeing as how he is free and the money can be reinvested into making a solo solution more secure.

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And how do you do that? You don’t roll the dice on one guy to replace the prolific Ramsey. You choose two guys, both with the potential to do what Ramsey does, but maybe they haven’t been able to fully express themselves yet.

Meyer is a good choice, but he carries a lot more potential and a lot less proven track record.

What could be the safest option of all – and in this case, safety seems to be the best possible course of action – is investing in two guys with massive potential, who have shown glimpses of brilliance without ever being able to fully capitalize on it.

I’m speaking of Mateo Kovacic and Andre Gomes.

In individuality, neither can replace Ramsey. He has proven so much and neither of the two have proven much other than what could be.

Rolling the dice on one or the other is a gamble that we really shouldn’t be taking, but trusting one or the other to work out is safe. There is still that chance that neither work out, but pitting them against each other should hypothetically get them both to their absolute best.

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And from there, it’s all a matter of picking and choosing. When one fails, the other steps up. So on and so forth. It’s a good position to be in.