Juventus news: ‘If Juve call you, you can only say yes’ - Szczesny on his advice to Ramsey before Serie A move
What's the story?
Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes that former Arsenal teammate Aaron Ramsey is a perfect fit for the Old Lady and revealed that he had a part to play in the midfielder's transfer.
In case you didn't know...
Szczesny and Ramsey played together at Arsenal before the shot-stopper moved to Juventus in 2017. The duo, who won two consecutive FA Cups together, will now reunite after Ramsey announced that he would be joining the Serie A champions this summer.
The Welshman bid farewell to the Gunners after an eleven-year stint owing to the expiration of his contract at the Emirates. The North London outfit did not offer the midfielder a contract extension, prompting the Bianconeri to swoop in and procure his services.
This weekend, Ramsey was spotted in the stands of the Allianz Stadium watching his new club celebrating their eighth consecutive Serie A title.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Szczesny revealed what he told Ramsey before he decided to move to Turin.
The goalkeeper said, "We talked to each other a couple of times before he signed for Juventus. He asked me for some advice."
"'I told him: 'It's easy. If Juve call you, you can only say yes.' That's how it went, and it means Aaron listens to me."
"He's had five months to prepare, and he's already picked up a little bit. When I took him to dinner, he said more than just a 'hello'. He partly understood me, and that's a good basis to work from. I'll take care of the rest to give him a hand."
"He came here for treatment, but here we have the best physiotherapists in the world. I took him out for dinner one evening; he'll be a great player for us. He's a midfielder with a lot of quality; he's very good positionally, he scores lots of goals and provides lots of assists."
"When he's fit, he's one of the best, and he'll give us a big hand in achieving our objectives. Whether he plays as a midfielder or No 10 depends on the new coach. For me, he can also play at right-back, since he defends very well."
What's next?
Ramsey will not be featuring in Arsenal's Europa League final clash against Chelsea owing to a hamstring injury.
The Gunners will lock horns with their London rivals for the European Cup on May 30.