Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey has done nothing wrong

Aaron Ramsey is seemingly set to leave Arsenal this season. And while the narrative may suggest a messy split, the midfielder hasn’t done anything wrong whatsoever.

Aaron Ramsey has been an easy target among Arsenal fans recently. Ever since it was leaked that the Gunners rescinded their contract offer for the Welshman and allow him to leave this season, even if that may be for nothing next summer, Ramsey has been a figure for easy criticism.

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In British culture, there is an underlying and unwritten opposition to greed. It is not considered polite and proper to be overly ambitious and money-hungry, clambering for a bigger wage and demanding healthier finances. That is what Ramsey is seen to be doing — in reality, he isn’t, but that is the narrative that is being spun in the media.

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As a result, it is horribly easy to pile on Ramsey, as if he is being this self-centred, egotistical brat that has no awareness of team and cooperation. And it is understandable how such a perspective is held. After all, Ramsey is asking for more money. That’s why, ultimately, he is leaving. Arsenal can’t afford him because he wants more money.

But that line of thinking completely disregards a key element to Ramsey’s stance: he deserves more money. He was named Player of the Season for his performances last season, he has seen some of his teammates, new and old, be awarded bumper new contracts that are very much in the elite stratosphere, most notably Mesut Ozil’s new £350,000-a-week deal signed last January, and he justifiably wants to be renumerated for his efforts.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In any job, it is natural for an individual to want to be rightly paid for their services. That feeling is only intensified if colleagues are being rewarded for their work at a level that seemingly outweighs their actual value.

Ozil earning £350,000-a-week, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bringing in north of £200,000-a-week. I am sure that Ramsey sees himself on the same level as those players and is wondering why he isn’t being paid in a similar range — this is a problem that has plagued teams in the past and could well continue to undermine Arsenal’s work in the transfer window and in resigning contracts in the future.

Ramsey may or may not actually be in the same range as these players. That is for each to decide. But he believes that he is. And Arsenal believe that he isn’t, or they at least are not strong enough in their belief to override their wage structure and rework their financial investments. There is nothing wrong with that.

So yes, Ramsey may be about to leave the Gunners and it may be because he is asking for more money, but he is not doing anything wrong whatsoever.