Arsenal: Is it too much to hope for an Aaron Ramsey secret plan?

Arsenal boss Unai Emery wants to keep Aaron Ramsey until the end of the year, but is it too much to hope that this extension is more than just a tactical one?

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has told the club that he wants to keep Aaron Ramsey until the end of the year and not potentially recoup some sort of transfer fee in the January window.

This is sure to divide opinion, as there is there is tremendous transfer value for Ramsey, even with just half a season left on his contract, but at the same time, I can’t foresee a good end to the season without Ramsey, as he is, even in his small capacity, such a crucial piece of any potential successes.

Emery added that, at the end of the season, Ramsey can then choose which club he would like to go too. And I’m over here like… but he didn’t say that Arsenal wouldn’t be one of the clubs he could choose, did he?

For about two days, I lost all hope that Ramsey was going to stay, but now I’m resolved more than ever to hold to my belief that there is still some nugget of possibility that Ramsey could stay where he belongs at the Emirates.

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There isn’t a lot of sense in my steadfast belief that something else is at work here. I convinced myself that if we sold Ozil, freeing up those wages would allow Ramsey to get the contract he deserved, but that doesn’t seem likely, with Ozil resolutely determined to stay and fight for his place.

Which leaves no other option other than an ambiguous “I still have hope.” But here’s my logic: If the point is to lose Ramsey in the end, and if money really is as tough to come by as it is being reported, and if the club is in a state of rebuild that isn’t hinging on any set results, then there is nothing to gain from keeping Ramsey at the club any longer.

Take the money and reinvest it.

Hence the birth of my misplaced belief that Emery still has a plan to lock down Ramsey by the end of the year. Of course, when he announces a pre-contract with Juventus, I may change my tune, but for now, let optimism rule.

Ramsey has to stay. He just does. And until he is wearing the shirt of another club, I’ll retain my belief that he is staying.