Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey: It’s all about money

Contract talks have completely broken down between Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey. The reasoning and the consequence are all about money. The Gunners have to make sure they can maximise it.

Aaron Ramsey is seemingly set to leave Arsenal in the coming months. It was looking that way, in all honesty. The Welshman was not budging on his contract demands, the club was tight against its wage bill, and the finances dictated that a compromise would have to be made: the departure of Ramsey seems to be the result.

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According to the Daily Telegraph, not only have talks stalled between the two parties, but there is now not even an offer on the table of a new contract, such were the differences in wage expectations between player and club. Obviously, stranger things have happened and it could still play out that Ramsey remains in north London. But the picture is looking rather bleak.

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The reasoning is fairly simple. Arsenal already had a high wage bill that they were trying whittle down under Arsene Wenger. They then signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil to new contracts or contract extensions last January, which added approximately £30 million a year to the wage bill. When the wage bill was topping £200 million, that is a substantial addition to swallow.

And so, when it came to Ramsey, it was a simple equation of what could be afforded. Or what couldn’t be afforded. And Ramsey, seeing Ozil receive a bumper new deal and Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang both surpass his wage considerably, felt that he was deserving of a greater slice of the pie. He’s probably right. But Arsenal don’t have any pie left to give. They are the numbers and they don’t add up.

It remains to be seen whether Ramsey, like Alexis Sanchez last season, will depart in January or wait until the summer and leave on a free transfer. But if Arsenal have consigned themselves to losing the Welshman, which is certainly the indication if they have rescinded their contract offer, then it makes sense to sell in January and recoup as much value as is possible at this late stage.

What should have happened is the club recognise that they would be unable to agree on a deal with Ramsey in the summer and sell him then when they would receive greater compensation. Now, they are negotiating with potential buyers knowing that in six months Ramsey will be available for nothing, as long as the wage bidding war is won. That is not a strong negotiating position.

It will be difficult to squeeze out a significant fee for an injury-riddled, inconsistent 27-year-old who, while immensely talented, has only had two elite seasons in his career, and both were scuppered by fitness issues. The Gunners may have to accept as little as £30 million, meanwhile, Ramsey will be able to incite a wage bidding war for his services.

As such, not only is the reasoning for Ramsey’s likely departure moneterial, but so is the consequence. Arsenal must maximise their return. They must shrink their wage budget, they must recoup a healthy transfer fee, and then they must look to smartly reinvest. It’s all about money.