Arsenal are set to lose Aaron Ramsey in the summer, as he jets of to Italy to join Cristiano Ronaldo and co. at Juventus. He is rumoured to earn in excess of £400,000, making him one of the richest players in the whole of Europe.
It isn’t hard to see why Arsenal fans are annoyed at losing such a highly influential midfielder. He has continued to perform admirably since announcing his move to Turin in January.
Emery handed him the armband against Newcastle and it was the Welshman running the show in the first half, before eventually opening the scoring with a well drilled left-footed finish.
That was his 40th goal for the Gunners, currently sitting on a total of 259 appearances. The 28-year-old will look to leave Arsenal in a Champions League spot before linking up with the Italian champions.
Looking at the Premier League betting, the odds are in Arsenal’s favour to finish in the top four, at the expense of Chelsea and potentially arch-rivals Tottenham.
Arsenal are currently 4-9 to finish in the top four and Spurs are 4-11 after their victory over Crystal Palace on the opening night of their new stadium. Sarri’s Chelsea are 11-8, while Man United are the outsiders at 11-4 to sneak into a Champions League spot.
Despite Arsenal losing their midfield maestro, Emery has performed admirably in two transfer windows, even with a tight budget. With the Welshman not the only one looking likely to leave the Emirates in the summer, Emery should have room to manoeuvre in the summer transfer window.
Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser is the latest player to be linked to move away from the Cherries and be rewarded for his performances on the southern coast over the last couple of seasons.
The Scottish winger has spoken about the rumours, expressing he is flattered with the interest. That suggests Emery may well have a chance of prising him away from Eddie Howe’s side.
The twenty-five-year-old currently has six goals to his name and an impressive ten assists in the Premier League.
Away from Fraser, Denis Suarez may well make his move from Barcelona a permanent one in the summer. Although he’s struggled for game time under Emery since arriving on loan, the 25-year-old would be a great squad player who would find more opportunities with Ramsey vacating.
Looking even closer to home, Emery has already expressed his belief and admiration for academy product Joe Willock. The youngster has made two appearances in Europe this season, as well as a FA Cup appearance against Blackpool, where he managed to score a brace.
A young man Emery knows well from his period of time at PSG is Christopher Nkunku. It isn’t clear yet if the French champions would allow the winger to leave, but the chance to link up with the Spaniard might just persuade him. The 21-year-old made 43 appearances, scoring seven goals and making two assists.
Losing Ramsey is a sad fact for the Gunners, the more so given his recent performances. But all in all, some replacement opportunities could be made to do more than just cover the gap he’ll be leaving behind.
