5 possible replacements for Aaron Ramsey
After 11 years of service, Aaron Ramsey has decided to leave the club he joined when he was just 18 years old. As the Welshman leaves Arsenal for Juventus, the gunners are left to fulfil the difficult task of replacing him. The key contributions of Aaron Ramsey over a span of 11 years have shown that replacing him will be no easy task. He played 262 league games where he scored 40 goals and 41 assists. Was it not for his horrific injury in 2010, these numbers would have been prolifically higher. Oh, and not to forget his two vital winners in two FA cup finals.
So how does Arsenal go about replacing a player that has been so important for them and has qualities that are hard to replicate? Well, they could look at the midfield options within the club and try to promote the youth available to them. However, it is clear that they will most probably go out into the market and find a suitable replacement. So here are five possible replacements for Aaron Ramsey.
#1 - Dennis Praet
A link that dates back to a few years ago. Dennis Praet was a name that was mentioned to step into the boots of Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla as they left the North London team. However, Arsenal's history with the Belgian dates even back as Arsene Wenger gave him a guided tour of Arsenal's training facilities when he was a 15-year-old Genk player. According to reports, an Arsenal scout watched him in Sampdoria's 2-1 loss to Lazio.
Dennis Praet has scored 2 goals and provided 3 assists for Sampadoria. This raises doubts over whether he can definitely replace Ramsey considering Ramsey's prolific direct contributions to Arsenal in terms of goals and assists. However, his style of play is one that suits the gunners - from quick passes to laying off the ball, Praet has all the qualities to gel into an Arsenal team that has been erratic this season. He's also not afraid to take on defenders and dribble his way into the final third - a dynamic that Ramsey offered quite often.