Arsenal are set to open talks with Aaron Ramsey over a new contract, but are preparing for a rocky start to negotiations.
The Gunners underwent a torrid time lately, with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil appearing to hold our club at ransom, and we ended up being forced to allow the Chilean to join rivals Manchester United, although I can’t help but be happy with our exchange, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving in the opposite direction.
We finally agreed a new contract with our German maestro, but the pair had previously rejected any advances of offers to extend their contracts for over a year, and both deals were believed to have been put off previously due to wage demands.
We are now set to enter into new negotiations with stand-out star Aaron Ramsey, who has been amongst our most consistent performers throughout the campaign, and topped his return from injury off with an emphatic hat-trick this weekend against Everton, his first senior hat-trick of his career.
Arsenal are keen to tie down the Welsh international to a new deal prior to him entering the final year of his current deal, with the club keen to avoid another saga, but the new ceiling in our wage structure has been raised due to the new contract for Ozil, and that could well raise the expectations of future negotiations.
We are also yet to agree new terms with fellow midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is currently into the final season of his current deal, and with supposed interest from rivals Liverpool, we may well be forced to offer the injury-prone star more than we would have wished.
If Ozil is worth £350,000 per week, how much is Ramsey worth? Does the Welshman deserve to be amongst our highest earners? When fit, is he more important than Wilshere?
Pat J
According to rumors, Ramsey has been fed up with the amount of abuse by Arsenal supporters and Juventus is the frontrunner in getting him next season
Fine… Cash-in and sell Ramsey to Juventus, then buy a decent DMF to replace him, and happy days for everyone!
If Arsenal have any sense (history tells us that they don’t), they should go into these negotiations fairly relaxed.
First of all, Ramsey is very injury prone. Every season he picks up an injury, so that has to be taken into account. Then you have to look at his performance levels currently, and historically. He’s been with us for 10 years, and I think it’s fair to say that historically, he’s only ever had one top quality season (13/14). That was 4 years ago now! Currently, he’s performing well this season, and is probably in line for his second best season with us, and that’s where the problem lies. Football is all about the short term. For example, a striker who has previously struggled, could suddenly then go on a great run of something like 11 goals, in 15 games, and then he’s linked to all the top clubs, and wants a new contract. Very quickly, everyone seems to have forgotten that he may have only scored something like 11 goals in his last 85 games!
I think it’s very had to judge at times if a player is finally starting realise his potential, or if it’s just a flash in the pan. Other considerations also have to be made: does the player fit into the system the manager plays, can he play in his natural position, etc.
Overall, I would sell Ramsey. He wouldn’t make into any of the other top clubs, and he doesn’t fit into Wenger’s style of playing, because of his lack of technical ability. Also, Ramsey rarely gets to play in his best position, and that isn’t going to change with Ozil, and Mkhitaryan ahead of him. What’s the point of keeping a player on huge wages, to then never use him correctly?
Don’t worry, Wenger will play him on the wing like he did when Cazorla was fit. Sell him, not good enough.
Ozil and Mkhi are playmakers.
Ramsey – our only box-to-box midfielder (ala Paulinho for Barca).
Not nervous about “losing”him, though. His salary is already 110.000 per week.
Comparisons (some Liverpool players):
– Emre Can 70.000
– Adam Lallana 65.000
– Sadio Mane 90.000
ThirdMan – could not agree more. Using Ramsey out right on the wing like has been used is pointless since it is not a position he masters and using him ahead of Ozil in a free-roaming central role makes no sense given his limited vision. In fact personally, I would not even start Ramsey ahead of Wilshire in the center.
It was a defensive maneuver, because Oxlade Walcott and others were leaving a young Bellerin to struggle with getting doubled up on. At the time I understood it, Ramsey done well defensively and we know he likes to go into the box. But what I didn’t understand was Wenger seeing that weakness, pulling a man out of position because of it, but then not sell or upgrade on the ones who forced him into doing it. Unless Wenger was only thinking of adding certain traits to a players game, like he does, so maybe I read it wrong. But that was my thinking at the time.
Third Man, Your Ramsey comments are good ones and he has always had purple patches, generally not long lasting and often interrupted by injury. I do think though that certain players play far better in certain formations and after last week we can hardly expect him to be dropped for Spurs. I would leave him in the team while Ozil, Mkhitaryan and P-E A are also playing, as last week was so good, and make a final decision if he should stay or go in June. He does at least bring strength and effort which we can’t say about all players at our club. But he has had only one real successful half season back in 2013-14, til he got injured and not much since. He is in the last chance saloon right now. Moreover , I think it highly likely Wenger will be sacked in the summer and a new and proper manager could well use Ramsey for his best and not waste him on the right wing, as Wenger stupidly does.
Ramsey could not possibly expect to be paid in line with Ozil. I don’t think there are too many clubs who pay Ramsey the big bucks. Which clubs are likely to fork our 250k a week for Ramsey let alone the crazy money Ozil is getting? He would not start at too many top 6 clubs IMO.
If he doesn’t sign sell him this summer and of course try to tie up Wilshire ASAP. We might feel the knife on our throat if Wilshire leaves on a free AND we have to sell Ramsey. But at Ramsey’s age and under Wenger’s coaching Ramsey is not going to turn into a world beater.
Signing Ramsey to a contract that pays him too much would make him unsellable for a new manager.
We aren’t as desperate to keep Ramsey or at least we shouldn’t be, as we were to keep Ozil. As said above, he is one of our most injury prone players. Give him a decent offer to stay. If he rejects it then sell him. Nobody is bigger than the Club. Id like him to stay. He is useful player. More useful than Xhaka anyway.
Even if he does stay, we need to sign a top central midfielder or two innit
Put him in goal! Be better that what we have!!
Can I just say in all seriousness though, I really feel bad for Jiroud!!
I would start Ramsey as striker 😀 i think that is his best position he just need to learn better first touch and timing his runs. He could run as headless chicken all day in that postion. Also i would not sell Ramsey as he is good squad player or first team player. Sometimes i feel like fans are little bit harsh on him.
Ramsey £200k p/w – or sell end of season
No, no, no.
Players of Ramsey’s quality get payed 65.000 – 130.000 in the Prem. La Liga – 60 – 100.000
Check players’ salaries, you’ll see what I mean.
Personally I wouldn’t offer the lad a pound more than what is being considered for Jack W, for he shouldn’t consistently feature for Arsenal when fit
or in good form. As mentioned in a previous article,
Ramsey is very similar to Giroud, a good player who
would thrive at a mid to bottom tier EPL club but should never be a starter @ Arsenal with the likes of Ozil, Miki and even Jack deservedly ahead of him. He would be a valuable Cup and rotational player for the Gunners but not at the ridiculous weekly wages I would imagine he is expecting. Simply put there are BETTER and CHEAPER players Arsenal could sign in the summer.
My Arsenal dream squad next season
Auba..Laca
Ozil…Miki
Fabinho…Jack
Saed…Manolas…Mustafi…HB
Butland
i agree completly with fabinho he would be a massive buy, so as most fans im relaxed when it comes to ramsey squad player at the most, and definetly not a better player than xhaka but he’s played well last game and im happy he finally got a hat trick.
I was premature to be upset at Walcott’s salary increase. I personally think offerring Ramsey £200k or more even worse.
There are loads of Top players (World Class) in Germany who get less than £200k. ie Aubameyang, Lewandowski, Lahm, Ribery, Neuer, Muller etc. Get a German Bundesliga player ie Goretzka or Seri from France.
Ramsey should be rewarded for improved play not for loyalty of signing a contract. To be honest he hasn’t really improved. Part of that is unfortunately due to the Gorilla Shawcross for breaking his leg, years ago. Before that he was looking better than Wilshere.
Goretzka is gone to Bayern. We need a DM, a CD, a RB and a GK – I dont think it is the right time for us to look for a Ramsey replacement.
Yeah, right. 200k LOL
Look at Spuds:
Moussa Dembele 55.000, Eriksen 75.000, Heung-Min Son 85.000. Even Chelsea have Kante at 120.000, and you’d have Ramsey at more than the current 110.000????
There are loads of players of Ramsey’s quality who would gladly play for Arsenal @ 80 – 120.000 per week.
Ramsey will feel he is in a good position to negotiate with Wenger to get his £200k a week but he will be dealing with Raul who I can assure you will not allow him to hold us to ransom in the way Walcott mugged off Wenger.
For the first time in Wengers reign (post David Dein) he will be up against specialists who will decide his worth to the club and if he is offered a new deal it will be on terms acceptable to the club and not the player.
If Ramsey and his agents feel they will get the sort of money that is being touted he will soon find his career disintegrating at Everton.
Phil, No way Ramsey will get £200 k a week. We are now so close to the end of Wenger and serious , in touch with todays reality people again making the big decisions, so I would offer Ramsey £100k pw max or say goodbye in the summer. He is now on his very last chance, as far as I am concerned.
Yes, but as he is on 110.000 now, I think an increase to 120.000 would still be sensible, but anything more would be ludicrous, when most players of that quality earn 60.000 – 110.000.
150,000 should be okay. If not, send him to Juventus.
Bon Voyage, Aaron. Don’t let the door hit in the back. He’s fed up with the abuse by supporters, I heard. Well, and we’re fed up by your inconsistency, and your injury record. He’s like Jackyll and Hyde. Great player one game, horrible the next.
Sorry Vlad I agree with you (I will try to not make that a habit). He is too inconsistent like the rest of the team bar a few.
Ramsey is a good player. He always has a place in the Arsenal squad. We should be able to sign him for 150-180K if not it would be too much.
We are missing a DM, a defender, competition for Bellerin, and a goal keeper. To let Ramsey wind down his contract when we need so many players is not smart business.
There is only Jack in that position who is as good or better than him. And we know Jack and injuries. And Elneny and Xhaka are not good enough. So unless we are planning to buy a replacement for Ramsey, we should make sure he stays.
Klopp or Mourinho would work with Ramsey, he has that constant drive like an Alexis. Also like Alexis he keeps on showing for the ball and gives maximum effort. I like that about him, I hate seeing players playing it safe after they’ve skewed a few, it’s the game you gotta think about not your damn accuracy percentages. He’s a dangerous player even when not on the scoresheet, he helps his forwards which can go unnoticed by some people. Others keep telling me how Wilshere’s a play-maker so it’s different position, he’s not there to score, but what about the assists I ask. I like Wilshere, but if his fans are gonna keep talking BS, I will find it very easy to spell out the winner of the two.
I think Jack and Ramsey create great competition for that midfield spot. It is good to have them both and they are both injury prone, so having just one might be very costly.
We need a Defensive Midfielder, Fabinho at Monaco is looking really good and is ready to move on.
I say Sell Xhaka and Elneny, keep Jack and Aaron, buy Fabinho, promote AMN full time and we have Mesut and Mhki as well who can play as Central Midfielders as well. It is a pretty sweet team.
My thinking would be very similar.
Reckon we should keep him but 180k is a good price with bonuses if he stays fit. He is a class baller but injury record..
Chicken Rib. Not good enough. If we want to challenge the championship, sell him with Xhaka, Elneny and Belailin. Belailin sometimes is like an Amateur player.
A bench player so why would,we up his salary? He will end up at Cardiff or equivalent unless barca come back in for him as a replacement for iniesta …
Is rumor true £250,000 p/w Ramsey?
Hell No!
So Wilshere who bleeds Arsenal and with us since childhood is offered £90,000 p/w with bonuses due to injury concerns.
Yet Always injured Aron possibly discussing 3x what jack’s offered?
How offensive to Jack! Damn absolute slap in face to Jack. Not surprised hasn’t signed. Kante easily worth £500,000 p/w if anyone thinks Ramsey anywhere close to £250,000 p/w, sheesh
F off Ramsey, crybaby.
Fabinho and dozen others LEVELS above Ramsey.
Hopefully Raul involved NOT Wenger.