Arsenal: Joe Willock, the next Aaron Ramsey?

When Aaron Ramsey, many Arsenal fans bemoaned the departure of a truly unique central midfielder. But in Joe Willock, do the Gunners already have their replacement?

Arsenal have one of the best youth crops in the Premier League, with players like Joe Willock, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson all contributing to the team this season despite their inexperience. Because of their collective emergence, there is a positive feeling around the team’s prospects over the coming years.

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However, rewind just a few months and it was all very different. Aaron Ramsey and the club had parted ways. The Welshman, along with a lot of fans, was in tears. Ramsey had, after all, become somewhat of a cult hero at the Emirates, cementing his place in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful owing to his passion, commitment, gritty displays and, above all, his professionalism. He was an incredible workhorse, a scorer of important goals, including two goals in FA-cup finals which the Gunners went on to win, and very much viewed as a man of the people.

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So, upon his exit, it was no surprise that fans demanded a replacement when it became public knowledge that he was leaving. However, replacing a player like Ramsey is no easy — or cheap –task, especially in today’s inflated transfer market. He possesses a very unique skill set that is rare to find. Traditionally a box-to-box midfielder, Ramsey became well-known for his late runs into the box and knack for scoring goals at crucial moments. Plus, his neat dribbling and deceptive pace meant that he could also operate further forward if needed and drop back to press and defend with the engine to bound up and down the pitch.

However, despite his unique style and quality, the Gunners have a Ramsey replacement right in their midst, and he is at the heart of this youthful resurgence.

Joe Willock has been on the fringes of the first team for the last two seasons but has broken into the starting XI on a semi-consistent basis this season. He has unquestionably caught the eye whenever he’s played. Able to operate both as a box-to-box midfielder or as a more attacking option, he can not only carry the ball while making incisive passes to add creativity to the midfield, but he’s shown that he can also score goals, an important trait that makes the Ramsey comparison more accurate.

Nothing excites fans more than a homegrown player from the academy breaking through into the first team. Exciting as the comparison might seem, it is important to remember that Willock is only 20 years old and is still developing.

If he wants to truly establish himself as a top player in the world’s most demanding league, he has a long way to go. He is not the finished article. His finishing is still inconsistent, there is some physical weight, strength and power to add to his frame, and he must also improve his stamina if he is to sustain his energetic displays over the whole 90 minutes.

While it is a positive sign that he is being preferred to Mesut Ozil in the team as the attacking midfielder as of choice, he needs to keep his head down and work hard while taking his chances in the first team if he truly wants to become a regular starter at the club for years to come. And only once he does that could he be considered a true Ramsey replacement.

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While Willock may possess a comparable skill set to his predecessor, in terms of production and dependability, he still has a lot of work to do. Ramsey was a bonafide star. Willock, naturally, is yet to reach that level. He has the potential to do so. Now he just needs to put it all together and produce on a consistent basis.

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