Arsene Wenger believes Aaron Ramsey leaving Arsenal for Juventus is a blow
What's the story?
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has weighed in on Aaron Ramsey's pending move to Juventus, stating that it would be a great loss for the Gunners as it is difficult to find a player who can "make midfield runs off the ball" these days. Wenger made his comments while speaking at the Laureus Sport for Good presentation, as reported by Sky Sports.
In case you didn't know...
Ramsey had announced his decision to move to the Turin-based side a week ago, stating that he had already signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Serie A giants at the end of the season.
The Welshman made the announcement in a post on his Instagram account which read, "As you may have already heard, I have agreed a pre-contract with Juventus football club. I wanted to issue a personal statement for all the Arsenal fans who have been extremely loyal and supportive."
"Thank you. I will continue to give the 100% and hope to finish the season strongly, before heading on to my next chapter in Turin," the post continued.
The heart of the matter
Wenger has now had his say on the issue, stating that Ramsey, who had played under him for 10 years, would be sorely missed at the Emirates.
The Frenchman said, "It will be a loss for Arsenal...He is a player who is great going forward. His main quality is he can keep the final ball and he makes interesting runs from deep...You don't find many players today who can make midfield runs off the ball."
Wenger is one of the people who's been around Ramsey for a long time, and he knows better than anybody what the Welshman's strengths and weaknesses are. It is pertinent that he thinks Ramsey is so important to the Arsenal side, and that very few players can bring the same skill level to the table.
What's next?
Following their first leg defeat to BATE in the Europa League last week, Arsenal will hope to make up for the loss when they face them in the second leg of the fixture on Thursday night. Ramsey will continue being a part of their plans until the summer, and the Welshman would be hoping to perform well over the next couple of months and go out on a high.