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More than a decade after his move to Arsenal, it looks like there may be issues on the horizon in regards to Aaron Ramsey remaining a Gunner for much longer.
The Arsenal chiefs have seen that no good comes from leaving contract extensions for longer than is necessary. The Alexis Sanchez matter is still quite fresh in the memories of both fans and the club. Granted, it brought Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Emirates, but everything could have certainly been smoother.
With Ramsey, on the other hand, everything should be smoother. He's been at the club since he was a youngster, and he clearly has a soft spot for Arsenal. I don't think the Arsenal executives could mess up this one.
What Ramsey would like is a better financial deal on his contract. At £110,000 per week, one might say that he's already on a great offer, but given his worth to the club and in the market, he could (and should) be getting more.
The first rumour when the contract extension matter came to light was that Ramsey wanted his wage doubled. Currently, there has been ongoing speculation about Ramsey expecting a £300,000 per week contract which, in and of itself, should not be so shocking. Realistically, he has been playing at the highest level of football, in one of the best leagues, and is a star player at one of the best clubs. His counterparts have better salaries, so why not Ramsey?
Arsenal is most likely not going to meet those demands, but they could tie him down in more ways than one. As football progresses, more and more opportunities, contract clauses, and other fees have become effective ways for clubs to keep players without increasing their wages. Will Ramsey accept those contract extras instead?
Hard to say, but there is one sure possibility around the corner: Ramsey is in the final 12 months of his current contract, and if nothing changes, he will be a free agent by the next summer. The number of clubs that will vie for his signature at that point will not be surprising. He will likely get his wage demands elsewhere, and letting him go will come back to haunt Arsenal.
That's worse case scenario, and I frankly don't think it would get there. In fact, I believe the press and other transfer rumor sites are making it a bigger issue than it really is. They are linking Ramsey with rival clubs like Liverpool and the Catalan giants.
I think there is little truth in these reports, and this is why:
Aaron Ramsey has been a Gunner since he was young, and he has been cherished by fans of the club for over a decade. He knows he will be important to the new manager, Unai Emery, who has shown good faith in Ramsey by recently making him captain a couple of times, and keeping him on the starting eleven. I think he believes he was under-appreciated during Wenger's era, and is looking to make changes in that regard. Why would he want to leave when he has an opportunity to cement his career at Arsenal?
