Aaron Ramsey has officially signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus and will join the club following the end of the Premier League season. While there has been some discrepancy concerning the exact amount that Ramsey will be paid to play for the Old Lady, the fact remains that this move is a free transfer from Arsenal. Yes, Arsenal will not be receiving any compensation or transfer fee for Ramsey, who is one of the best players in the current Arsenal side. This move represents, hopefully, the final show of poor management by Arsenal executives. This is especially the case when one considers the lack of funds in the transfer window for Unai Emery to improve the squad.
Ramsey will presumably fit in nicely in Italy as he will be a tireless box to box midfielder who has the quality to seek out both Ronaldo and Dybala in the final third of the pitch. He is also well regarded for his ability to position himself with the opportunity to score, and adding another goal scoring threat could further help Juventus in the search for a Champions League title. He will have the opportunity to partner up with a combination of Pjanic, Matuidi, and Khedira, which could be considered an upgrade over the current Arsenal midfield. He should also be given the chance to focus more on the attacking portion of the game, as the experience and quality will enable his defensive duties to be slightly diminished.
The loss of Aaron Ramsey for a free is unquestionably a bitter blow to all at Arsenal. Fans will be disappointed that yet another major talent has left the club for free or minimal fee, with Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, who left in a swap deal for Mkhitaryan, and Lucas Perez all within the past year. During that same time, the club has seen Arsene Wenger, Ivan Gazidis, and Sven Mislintat leave the club, with Mislintat only arriving at Arsenal a little over a year ago. Arsenal are indeed in a period of transition, but losing the likes of Ramsey makes Emery’s task of rebuilding and restructuring Arsenal Football Club that much tougher. Arsenal will need to replace Ramsey over the summer on top of other critical upgrades including defense and wide players. It will be difficult to find the talent to replace Ramsey that would cost less than Arsenal’s estimated 45 million pound budget. The club is currently lacking a head of recruitment, who should be scouting players over the coming months. The hope is that Monchi, who previously worked alongside Emery at Sevilla, will take the helm and be able to quickly identify the players that Emery desires for his side.
Regardless Ramsey has these last few months at Arsenal to show the club how much they will miss his services. He does have the opportunity to leave on a high as the Gunners are still in contention Champions League qualification through the Europa League and by finishing in the top four in the Premier League.
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