What next for Aaron Ramsey now Arsenal have withdrawn their contract offer?

News has emerged today that Aaron Ramsey will leave Arsenal at the end of the current season after the club withdrew from contract negotiations. BBC Sport report that a four-year contract had been lined up to keep the 27-year-old at the Emirates, only for the Gunners to pull out for as-yet-unknown reasons.

It’s very bad news for Unai Emery, a keen admirer of Ramsey long before he joined Arsenal this summer. The Wales international has featured in all six of the club’s Premier League matches so far this season – starting five – as the most advanced central midfielder, pushing Mesut Ozil out of his favourite position in the process. Ramsey’s energetic playing style, coupled with his strong tackling and intelligent movement, make him a perfect fit for a high-intensity coach like Emery.

Consequently Ramey’s imminent departure is a major setback for the new Arsenal head coach, who was hoping to use the 2018/19 season as a transitional year, laying down the foundations for his project. That has become a considerably more difficult task now the linchpin of his system is set to depart; Emery will no doubt do everything in his power to get the Arsenal board to reconsider.

If Ramsey does leave, it will most likely be for Serie A or a rival Premier League club. The Welshman won’t be short of offers:

 

Juventus

The Old Lady are reportedly interested in Ramsey’s services as long as his wage demands aren’t too high, per the Daily Star. Competition for places is high at Juve, however, with the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Emre Can likely to rank higher than Ramsey in the pecking order. That they don’t want to pay him too much is a tell-tale sign the 27-year-old would be a squad player on the fringes; this surely isn’t good enough for a footballer entering his prime years.

Chelsea

It is easy to see why Maurizio Sarri might be interested in a player like Ramsey, particularly if Chelsea cannot secure Matteo Kovacic on a permanent deal from Real Madrid. Ross Barkley has struggled since he arrived at Stamford Bridge and is considerably less active off-the-ball than Ramsey, making the Arsenal star a better fit for the expansive tactics of Chelsea’s new manager.

Manchester United

Assuming the Liverpool rumours are untrue (surely Jurgen Klopp doesn’t need yet another central midfielder) then Manchester United are perhaps the only other viable option in England for a player with such high wage demands. However, this would depend on who is in charge at Old Trafford by next summer, with Jose Mourinho’s job increasingly under threat. With so much Premier League experience Ramsey would be a decent signing should Ander Herrera be moved on, but at the moment Manchester doesn’t look a likely destination.

Lazio

Lazio are performing above expectations so far this season, sitting third in Serie A with four wins from six, but if they want to maintain this level they’ll need updates in central midfield. They won’t hold onto Sergej Milinkovic-Savic for much longer, and the rest of their midfielders are getting on: Milan Badelj (29), Marco Parolo (33), and Lucas Leiva (31) will need fresh legs around them next season. Rome is an attractive place to live and Lazio an historic club to join; right now, this is the most likely destination for Ramsey when his contract expires in the summer of 2019.

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