Earlier this month, reports emerged claiming that Arsenal will look to offload Aaron Ramsey in the summer and while most fans believe this is ridiculous, there are a few reasons why they might.
1Wages
If the reports are true that Ramsey is deliberately running down the final 18 months of this Arsenal contract in order to get a better deal, this is one reason to sell him.
As key as the midfielder is, Arsenal can’t be paying every player whatever amount they demand, especially if they’re injury-prone… although I’ll get more in a bit.
As it stands, the 27-year-old allegedly gets £110k-per-week and while no one would disagree that, when he’s fit and playing his best, he’s worth it, this isn’t the case a lot of the time.
If players like Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are able to demand the same wages as players like Mesut Ozil, what does that say about Arsenal’s wage structure?
It’s not sustainable.
Ozil is a rare case – I’ve not seen one fan genuinely complain about his £300kpw wages – because he makes a massive difference to the team. While the 29-year-old might be ‘ill’ a lot and has the odd game off due to his knee problem flaring up, he isn’t actually sidelined for long.
Why would Arsenal keep Ramsey if he’s demanding massive wages when they could sign another midfielder or recruit someone from within who will do a decent enough job, stay fit and play for half the wages?