Arsenal: I’d trade Ozil, Iwobi and Mkhitayran for Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal had the creative core out there against Wolverhampton and they managed nothing. I’d trade them all for Aaron Ramsey.

I’ve had my post-match sermons about not overreacting to a single Arsenal match. I’ve defended Granit Xhaka and Bernd Leno for their mistake-ridden horror-show, and now I’m allowed to go on a bit of a rant. Because I said so.

First of all, what I’m about to say isn’t a reaction to one match, but a reaction to the entire season and even before that. The fact that it all can be exemplified in one ugly match isn’t exactly a coincidence.

Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi all started against Wolverhampton. That right there should be enough creative power to get some incisive passing going and create some chances. Wolves have been tough this year, but this is the Arsenal, damnit.

Well, between the three of them, they created two chances and surrendered possession 16 times, nine of which were from Ozil alone.

What the hell?

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But then again, who’s surprised? These are three of the most inconsistent players we’ve had for some time. Ozil has been inconsistent for five years. Even in his 19 assist year he was inconsistent (come at me). Mkhitaryan is a slam dunk or an air ball and Iwobi is still trying to figure out when he should shoot or pass.

Three immensely talented players, three immensely inconsistent players, and they all fell flat on their faces. Granit Xhaka created more chances than the three of them combined.

Maybe it’s beating a dead horse (no, I know it’s beating a dead horse), but I would trade all three of them to keep Ramsey. Not only would it fix the wage bill, but it would let us keep our most innovative attacker.

Say what you will about Ramsey, but even in the worst of matches, he is always game to try something creative, some new flick or trick or anything. And guess what? That guy has a spine. He takes defeats and goals surrendered personally and does everything he can to try to rectify them.

These other three? I’m not so sure about. We know how emotionally-driven Ozil and Iwobi are. When one thing goes bad, they fall apart. And I won’t even pretend to know what the trigger is to flip Mkhitaryan from world class to whatever the hell he is the other half of the time.

Ramsey isn’t like that. He’s human, he makes mistakes, but he’s constantly innovating, and he wouldn’t take any of this like they did.