Aaron Ramsey’s impending free agent status has put the Welshman’s future well and truly in the spotlight. His time at Arsenal has, of course, been more readily remembered for time spent on the treatment table. Nonetheless, he has won silverware with the Gunners and forged a good international career with Wales, and Arsene Wenger’s youth management abilities have clearly aided his cause.
Now at the very peak of his physical prowess, he will be an excellent addition to almost any team, either in the Premier League or abroad. Here are five we think he would fit into extremely well.
Newcastle
The club has the money and the potential to do well. Yet, sadly for them, that has not always been evident this season, even though they were able to snap a long winless streak on the road as recently as Monday night. With the Newcastle fanbase currently seething at the occasional lack of creativity, a man who is capable of working as a box-to-box midfielder could be a godsend.
At present, Mohamed Diame and Ki Sung-Yong forge an intriguing partnership of strength and ingenuity – when Newcastle are in control of proceedings. However, they lack the multidimensional nature of Ramsey, and when the situation is not in Newcastle’s control, that’s when things can get ugly. Benitez needs options now more than ever, and Ramsey’s prior experience of winning silverware can only be a bonus to a club that is now bereft of major honours for generations.
Liverpool
With a wealth of options in the engine room, the addition of Ramsey to the Anfield ranks would raise a few eyebrows. Yet, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain enjoying a new lease of life after venturing north from the Emirates Stadium – only to sustain a major injury and miss the 2018 World Cup – there are precedents for Jurgen Klopp making such a surprising move.
With Gini Wijnaldum still enjoying cult hero status, and Naby Keita still yet to reach the potency his arrival promised, it is the latter man who would arguably be most threatened by Ramsey’s transitional abilities in the centre of the park. Last season’s stats increase Ramsey’s case for inclusion over Keita, with the Welshman finishing last season’s Premier League campaign with a pass completion rate of 85%, beating Keita – then in the Bundesliga – by 4%. He also got eight assists to Keita’s five.
Bayern Munich
In mid-November, Bayern were closely linked to the Welshman, and for good reason. Even though Robert Lewandowski is as much of a talisman as ever, the fall of ‘Die Roten’ from the top is alarming. With the Bundesliga title looking ever more likely to go to spiritual rivals Dortmund, the Bavarian giants need an element of surprise, especially when away goals count for everything in the Champions League knockout stage.
If Ramsey is to make such a dramatic move abroad, he will need to displace either Renato Sanches or Leon Goretzka. Though Sanches is still only 21, there is an ever-present feeling that the powerful midfielder still isn’t quite up to the blistering level he was in his final (2015/16) season at Benfica. There is little to separate the trio, but Sanches is a clear trailer, creating the least chances (Ramsey the most) and making the lowest number of forward passes, which marks him out as a potential weak link for Ramsey to exploit.
AC Milan
The second foreign team to be linked with Ramsey in the past six weeks, AC Milan are fighting on two fronts once again, and know that winning the Europa League is likely to be the club’s best chance of re-entering Europe’s top echelon. With Europa League participation well-known for being a demanding pastime, the ‘Rossoneri’ will need as many numbers as possible.
Last month, Corriere dello Sport cited Milan CEO-elect’s Ivan Gazidis as a potential influence in this deal, with the South African-born Greek already having an existing relationship with Arsenal. It is a perplexing move nonetheless, but with Ramsey being older than most of the usual midfield starters, his experience will be an asset to a squad that also has a relatively young manager in Gennaro Gattuso.
It’s one of the more unlikelier moves here, but connections can sometimes talk louder than many realise.
Tottenham
The unthinkable, yet most convenient option would be for Ramsey to make the short trip across North London, and trade red for white. He would be the first man since William Gallas (in 2010) to make a straight move there and while Tottenham’s midfield requires no obvious improvements, any Tottenham gain at Arsenal’s expense is always welcome.
If nothing else, this move would certainly be a marker of just how much Tottenham have grown under Pochettino, and the Argentine undoubtedly has the ability to sell a dream – at a club which has won just two trophies in twenty years.
With Tottenham also now third-favourites in current sports spread betting markets to win the title, the odds of this move happening look shorter than ever. Learn more about sports spread betting here with Sporting Index.
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