Craig Bellamy thinks Arsenal have lost Aaron Ramsey already and it’s just a matter of time before the 27-year-old moves somewhere else.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Bellamy gave his thoughts on his former national teammate’s current situation. The Arsenal midfielder has less than a year left on his contract, meaning he could leave for free next summer as it stands.

With talks over an extension going south, Bellamy thinks it’s too late for the Gunners to hold onto Ramsey at this point.

“I think they’ve lost him already – I think he’s gone,” he told The Debate. “Come January or the summer, he’ll be going somewhere else. Four or five years ago, every club wanted him – Manchester City, Barcelona. I think it’s time for him to move on.

“He’s become conscious of some players that have stayed too long at Arsenal and not got the best out of their ability. He’s a tremendous footballer that has had injuries. Unai Emery will be a good manager for him but he needs a change. He’ll have a better chance of going to those top-end clubs if he’s on a free transfer.”

The part about players not getting the best out of their ability at Arsenal is rambling nonsense.

For a start, there are plenty of examples of players playing their best football in North London and struggling to replicate that elsewhere. Look at Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Bacary Sagna, Emmanuel Adebayor, Alexander Hleb and Alexis Sanchez. They’re far from the only examples.

In addition, even if you do (incorrectly) believe that every Arsenal player has failed to reach their potential in recent years, that was under a different manager. You can’t use Arsene Wenger’s record of developing players to judge what Unai Emery can do with them.

For the rest of the quote, in terms of Ramsey being on his way out, we’ll just have to wait and see.