Ramsey’s Contract stand Off is Gazidis’s Legacy by Dan Smith
With the Italian media adamant that Ivan Gazidis will be joining AC Milan in September, Gooners have started debating how much of a loss it would be to the club. The irony being that this debate happens at the same time a star player once again is being allowed to run down his contract.
12 months ago, Alexis Sanchez undermined our whole transfer policy by not extending his deal. In January, Man United swapping him was the equivalent of getting a good solution out of a horrible situation. We should have breathed a sigh of relief and promised to never put ourselves in that position again.
Unlike the South American who had said for months he wanted to leave, the belief is that Aaron Ramsey will eventually decide to stay, although we thought the same regarding Jack Wilshere. I don’t work in the world of business but surely there comes a point when all parties have to disclose what they want?
The Welshmen must have a figure in his head. Either our board think he’s worth that salary or they disagree and sell him. For every day there is a stand off, the more likely it is that we lose on an asset at least worth 50 million. Worryingly Gazidis has shown a willingness to let employees have just a few months left and still he will try and negotiate.
The cases of Sanchez, Ozil and Wilshere show we could be having the same conversation next summer. It’s hard to think of another top side who would give an individual so long to make a decision. Big clubs have more pride then that.
Imagine anyone telling Sir Alex Ferguson to wait and find out if they wanted to stay at Man United? It simply wouldn’t happen! Rambo must know by now if he sees his future in North London. A big club would give him a final offer and a deadline to accept. But of course Stan Korenke has no ambition for us to be a big club.
That is why it’s hard to define Gazidis’s legacy. He can only work under the criteria he’s been set.
There’s no point thinking another CEO will change transfer kitties or ticket prices. Maybe like Wenger there is no pressure on Gazidis to make us the number one side in the country and that is why he’s so laid back. But we know our American owner likes to make money and someone more ruthless would do that if nothing else.
We turned our back on 60 million for a few months work from Sanchez last year. Ozil exploited us knowing we couldn’t afford to lose him as well while we took Jack Wilshere by his word. We lost money based on a contract policy which is Gazidis’ remit. Incredibly for a successful business man he’s continuing that policy.
Yet a Harry Kane and Salah sign new contracts at clubs we are richer then. It doesn’t play out in the media for a year. It’s the same with our transfer policy. The first I heard Barcelona wanted Malcom or Man United Fred was the day they bought them. Our signings, again Gazidis’ responsibility are haggled over for weeks. You are only as good as who you work for.
Maybe he can’t be ruthless because that’s not the culture at the Emirates? Maybe he’s ordered to be careful with every last penny? He was the man who coined the phrase the ‘catalyst for change’. Supporters naively thought the only issue was changing a manager.
Well, there is just two weeks to the start of the campaign. Our rivals are outspending us and one of our best players is running down his contract ……seems the same to me…
Dan Smith
Well Said Dan
We need to sell Ramsey, with Ramsey and Ozil, regarding the balance of the team you can only play one of them.
Ramsey is good at getting into scoring positions, but as zero responsability for the shape of the team when we don’t have the ball. For a central midfielder this cannot happen as it leaves us open on a counter attack every time… I cannot understand how this is let happen time and time again… every team needs shape with and without the ball.
??Ransey appears to be leaving it to his manager, who is obviously trying to maximize his cut.
As Dan stated Ramsey needs to put what he is after on the table for Arsenal to either accept or decline.
Time is running out and we don’t hear of other clubs making enquiries and rushing for Ramsey’s signature.
Arsenal should call Ramsey’s bluff and advertize his availability, while there is still time in the window to get a replacement.
Not sure we need a replacement as we are well stocked in that area. Just get rid.
Yes, the extra calculative transfer policy seems to continue in the next few years. Sanchez, Ozil, Wilshere, Chamberlain, Ramsey and the other contract rebels have the same rights as the club, to extend the contract or not
We could say Sanchez and Ozil exploited Arsenal, but it was the club that did not want to accept low bids
Unless if there is no interest in the player at all from another club, then Arsenal should ask themselves why do they want to keep such underperformers?
Gotanidea, you are right and there is a history recently at Arsenal in allowing contracts to run down, which borders on incompetence. The exception was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who joined Liverpool for less than the Arsenal offer.
I’ve been saying for years that Gazidis was hired for the share prices, he was hired to increase the value of AFC for the old board that was looking for their nice payday and since then Silent Stan has appreciated the increase of value to his asset.
I for one hope that Gazidis is leaving, he has been letting us down since day one and it has largely been ignored in favour of bashing Wenger, Wenger being tight fisted and Wenger letting contracts run down… Wenger unwilling to spend blah blah blah.
Real glad we got Emery however the real problem is still with us, Gazidis for me is just a CEO that can bump share prices in the short term but he has to sell a clubs long term to do this… and this is what has happened at Arsenal.
Midkemma, unfortunately the issue is the past major shareholders who sold to parasite Kroenke.
Ramsey can leave if he wants.. Torreira and xhaka can do the job
I think releasing Wilshere was the correct, unsentimental decision.
Now, I feel Ramsey should be put up for sale. He’s playing an underhand game and so far as I am concerned he can clear off. Get what we can, buy a replacement and look to bring through a youngster from inside the club.
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We didn’t let Wilshere go, we offered him a contract which he declined and left, a very big difference. As I’ve said previously, if Ramsey decides to run his contract down and leave on a free next year, there’s nothing Arsenal can do about.
Finally, of course both sides know what money is on the table for Ramsey, and they both know what he wants, it’s agreeing the figure that appears to be the problem, do you think they’re sitting there, trying to guess what the other party is offering or wants.
the highest bid we had last summer for Alexis was £30M, and that was on last day of the window from man city. so don’t know where you get the £60M from.
also if talks are progressing with AR, like they were last summer with Ozil, why would we abandon them and try and force his sale.
if we put him up for sale, then his £50M valuation that you put on him, would be halved, also we can’t actually force him to sign for another club.
AR keeps saying he is happy here, and wants to stay, why should we cut off our nose to spite our face by trying to force him out.
LIES! Manchester City INDEED offered 60m for Sanchez
I’m sick and tired of Ramsey’s contract’s saga. I’m especially displeased by IG who I expected would have given Ramsey an ultimatum to sign by a given deadline or be shipped out. Its crazy the lad has held the club for Ransome for this long. He even isn’t world class. This guy is totally replaceable. I can’t even start to list the number of midfielder that can gallantly take his position and perform better than him. He’s poor in his positioning and a complete disaster defence-wise. He bumps forward, forgets to return back and does not have the best of techniques. A decent lad, no doubts but not irreplaceable. Gazidis shoould get this nonsense sorted in the next couple of days. This has become disgusting.
Ramsey is done at Arsenal like Wilshire they are just trying a better way to push him out, if they really need him they would have already give him a new contract he wants they are just playing hardball and put him in the market at the same time. And will be easy to replace him with some players we already have and also need another body to ozil position and CB and LB.
Thought we had employed a contracts guru to sort these things out…so what is he up to?
I think the real problem with Ramsey arose when Unai said he wanted to build the time round Ramsey and make him captain. This emplied that Ramsey was key to his plans so he could then hold the club to ransom.
Unai should have probably kept quiet knowing that Ramseys contract was up soon and waited till he had put pen to paper before making a rash statement.
By the way, l know a lot of you dont rate Xhaka…but Wenger ruined his natural game..i saw him play at BMG and he was class..even made captain.
My thoughts are perhaps, now he has got a few years at Arsenal under his belt , he could make a good captain. What do you think ?
DAN, Congrats on penning an excellent article posing many debateable questions. Seems to me we first need to find out whether or not Gazidis is leaving before making firm conclusions. On Pain in the Arsenal site there is an article saying that IG might now consider his job at Arsenal done, with the important new changes having been brought in and his own”catalyst for change” having been now completed. IF- and to my mind it still is IF – Gazidis actually DOES have big ambition for Arsenal to regain the very top spot, it must be hellish working under Kroenke, who cares nothing of honours and only of club asset value and personal wealth. I can see HOW frustrating that would be, IF, Gazidis actually DOES have that ambition. I have never thought Gazidis cared much for us regaining top spot over his decade or so here. He is an astute man and had he REALLY cared, then surely he would have tried Heaven and Earth to get Wenger removed years before he actually went. I therefore concluded that Gazidis was not bothered about getting back to number one and that remains my position today, though since the clearout of Wenger and installation of modern people and methods , a welcome doubt about this being true has crept into the back of my mind. I could write much more fully but propose to wait and see if he stays or leaves before saying more. Much will be decided after that decision is made , one way or another.
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Hey people,
problem is that nobody did bid for Ramsey. Who would?
Only Inter Milan is interested but Ramsey s price is way above anything anyone wants to give for Wenger s golden boy.