Arsenal: Grading 11 potential Aaron Ramsey replacement

Arsenal’s biggest task this summer is going to be replacing Aaron Ramse, so let’s go through each candidate and have a little chat.

This is an article I never expected to write because I never expected Aaron Ramsey to leave Arsenal. With how outspoken Unai Emery and Ramsey both were about their excitement over the future of the club, it all seemed inevitable. He’d be the captain, he’d lead us to glory. Good times ahead.

But thanks to severe fund mismanagement, here I am, writing this deep dive into each midfielder that we are hoping could potentially replace Ramsey. The good news is, there are a lot of options. The bad news is, not all of those options are good. Some are just cheap. Some are wild cards. Some fall in between.

Whatever the case, it’s a job that needs to be done, as we have seen this year. With the 3-5-2 formation, we need a No. 10 like Ramsey and unlike Mesut Ozil, who has a presence, has consistency, and understands his responsibilities on both sides of the ball.

So, that said, let’s get started talking about each and every guy that has been linked to taking Ramsey’s old job. There are eleven names being bantered about thus far, so we’ll go in order of worst to best, on a scale of 1 to Aaron Ramsey. We start with No. 11.

11. Ander Herrera / Grade 1.0 / Price £0m

Free isn’t better. I love slick, under the radar guys, but Ander Herrera isn’t that. He’s so far from it. The Spaniard was unable to come to terms with a new Manchester United contract and thus finds himself in the same boat as Ramsey, walking out of the club for free.

Only unlike Ramsey, who is walking straight into Juventus, Herrera doesn’t have a destination yet, and thus he is linked to Arsenal.

Bad idea. He lacks the offensive output, is clearly more of a defensive player, and doesn’t have that spark. It’s a hard task, comparing people on the 1 to Ramsey scale, but Herrera doesn’t have it. The only good thing about him is he’s the only guy on this list with Premier League experience. And that he’s free.

On to No. 10.