Are Arsenal doing the right thing by letting Ramsey go?

Aaron Ramsey’s decade-long stay with Arsenal is drawing ever closer to an end especially now the January transfer window is in sight. That would be Arsenal’s last chance to recoup a fee for the Welshman after having decided to withdraw their contract offer to him in October this year, meaning he can leave on a free in the summer of 2019.

It’s quite immaterial really if Arsenal can get a fee or not given the Gunners only paid Cardiff £5m for him back in 2008. That is relatively chump change in football nowadays but if you were to look at it from another angle, Arsenal could have actually made a very tidy profit on Ramsey had they extended his contract and then listened to offers for the 27-year-old. As it is, the Welshman looks set to take flight from the Emirates but given his performances this season, are Arsenal scoring an own goal by letting him go?

Aaron Ramsey putting in performances like yesterday for the club despite no offer on the table.

We want him to stay. pic.twitter.com/earSg6OuJw

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) December 3, 2018

If, as suspected, Emery was the one who pulled the plug on a new deal for Ramsey because he deemed him to be surplus to requirements, he has a funny way of showing it. Ramsey has made an impressive 19 appearances for the Gunners this season, scoring twice and assisting six times. In total, Ramsey has 350 caps for Arsenal, scoring 61 goals and assisting 63 times.

That means he has been involved in 124 goals for Arsenal in 350 games, which suggests, on average, that Ramsey contributes a goal or assist every three games. That is more or less what you want from a number 10 and, even if Ramsey hasn’t always been used in such an advanced position, he has always been quite effective when called upon, whatever the role has been.

On that evidence, can Arsenal afford to let Ramsey go? Rumour has it Juventus are keen to sign the 27-year-old and if that is the case, Arsenal need to have a long hard look at their decision to let him leave. It may be too late if Juventus come calling given they are at 8/1 in the latest predictions for Champions League glory. Passing up that opportunity may be too much for Ramsey and there’s nothing like feeling wanted again after months in the cold, even if he has been playing.

It certainly will be the end of an era when Ramsey departs. From scoring the winner in an FA Cup final to breaking his leg against Stoke after a horror challenge by Ryan Shawcross in 2010, he has matured from a scruffy-haired teenager from Cardiff into one the continent’s most consistent performers.

4 – @Arsenal‘s Aaron Ramsey has provided four Premier League assists as a sub this season – no player has ever assisted more from the bench in a single campaign in the competition. Influence. pic.twitter.com/blftPoxGx9

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 2, 2018

Emery obviously feels there are better players out there and, after the miracles the Spaniard has already performed at the Emirates this season, it doesn’t seem right to now second guess him. Maybe Emery suspects the broken leg he suffered at the start of his career will begin to catch up with him. It could be a whole host of reasons but you can’t help but feel whoever signs Ramsey will be getting one of the bargains of the season.