Arsenal: One last gasp of life in Aaron Ramsey contract saga

Arsenal look all set to let Aaron Ramsey walk away for nothing at the end of the year, but maybe there is one last gasp of life to be found in January.

I’ve pretty much weeded out all of the hopes that I have of Aaron Ramsey staying at Arsenal, the club that he belongs at (I’m not bitter). The club that he should be the tenured captain of (I swear, I’m not bitter). The club that he is still playing his heart out for despite the fact that he is being dealt such a clearly unfair hand (okay, fine, I’m bitter).

So much about the process doesn’t make sense. How there was a contract off on the table, an offer that Ramsey admitted that he was going to sign. But when he went to sign it, it was gone off the table and, just like that, the club had made their mind up.

Just like that, Ramsey would be leaving. Ramsey, who was on the fast track to being a club legend for pulling out heroics like it’s an easy thing to do. The trophy drought ended because of Ramsey, Chelsea fell because of Ramsey, but what do I know. Clearly not as much as the club decision makers.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope remaining. Despite leading the team in assists – as many as Iwobi, Ozil and Mkhitaryan combined, despite playing one-fourth of the time that those three have amassed together – Ramsey will be leaving and the transfer gurus at the club will be forced to replace him, and the rest of the flubbering creative midfielders, most likely.

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Unless…

And this is probably crazy, and it’s definitely me just throwing a whimsical idea out there with the hopes that maybe this is what we are waiting for…

Unless…

We can sell Mesut Ozil in January and offload the crippling wages being wasted on a player that, I’m not sorry, doesn’t deserve them. This year has been a nightmare for Ozil. More irrelevance paired with about three good matches and a few flashes of brilliance.

If Ozil can be let go in January, perhaps Ramsey can yet be saved with a new contract equal to his worth to the team.

And don’t worry, Ramsey isn’t the kind of guy who will fade when a new contract is signed. Just look at what has happened with no new contract to speak of.