Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey contract stalemate not the end of the world

Aaron Ramsey’s contract stalemate at Arsenal looks like a problem on the surface, but perhaps there is cause for optimism too.

Aaron Ramsey was arguably Arsenal‘s best performer last season, but the apparent stalemate over a new contract as he enters the final year of his current deal is not the end of the world.

Ramsey’s legacy

You might disagree strongly, and you’d have a point given that Aaron Ramsey scored and created 15 goals for Arsenal in the Premier League in 2017/18. Added to that we all know about his penchant for scoring crucial goals in big games that win trophies (just ask Hull and Chelsea). Ramsey’s an elite athlete capable of making lung-busting runs beyond the striker and has rare composure for a midfielder. He also has exceptional vision, intelligence and technique, allowing him to turn provider against the very best opposition.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope Ramsey stays. I think he is very important to the club and the most likely candidate to be the next captain. After a decade with the club, it would be heart-wrenching to see such a fans-favourite donning the colours of another club.

Protecting the club’s interests

Here’s some no-nonsense opinion; If Ramsey doesn’t sign in the next few days it’s because he wants to leave and we need to cash in on our asset before it depreciates.

Even in the last year of his contract, Ramsey’s value would be in excess of £45M to other Premier League clubs in the current market. The Gunners should not allow this to go any closer to transfer deadline day or they risk potential suitors signing alternatives. We need to act like a business in this instance and set a hard deadline to allow us to protect our interests.

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In recent years we’ve seen Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leave at the very last minute. We were able to secure Henrikh Mkhitaryan when Alexis left, but when Ox left the club there was no time to find a replacement as the deal was done on deadline day.

Reasons to be optimistic

In previous years, the idea of one of Arsenal’s top players leaving late in the transfer window would have left people cold and genuinely concerned about squad depth. Not so for me this year.

The signings of Lacazette, Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan in the last 12 months have given us real firepower. The additions of Leno, Sokratis, Lichtsteiner, Torreira and Guendouzi in this window plus the continued emergence of home-grown talent in Maitland-Niles, Smith-Rowe, Nketiah and Nelson give us squad depth we’ve not had for many years.

Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi and Smith-Rowe all like to operate in that central area and look to have exceptional potential. Someone leaving often creates opportunities for young players to step up, perhaps this would be the case here too.

However, I’m not suggesting Arsenal wouldn’t feel the loss of such a high-quality player. Nor am I suggesting that we don’t look to bring in another midfielder. But given the squad depth, Arsenal should take their time on identifying a suitable replacement rather than rushing in to buy the best person available at the time.