Arsenal boss Unai Emery says a muscle injury prevented Aaron Ramsey from playing in their International Champions Cup match against Chelsea whilst reiterating his desire for him remain at the club.
The 27-year-old Welsh midfielder has entered the final year of his present deal in north London meaning he’s free to speak with other clubs from next January.
He’s featured sporadically in pre-season, but Emery is hopeful Ramsey will commit his long-term future to the Gunners, and that his noninvolvement against the Blues – a game that ended 1-1 with Arsenal winning 6-5 on penalties – has nothing to do with his contract situation but rather due to a knock he recently picked up.
“He has a pain in his muscle and we decided not to start him. We will wait for the medical analysis but we think it’s not a big one,” he told reporters.
“I don’t know,” he added when asked if Ramsey will sign a new contract. “This is a question for the club and the player. My focus is on the players and the training for the match against Lazio and then Man City.
“I think this is for the club and for the player. My opinion is clear, I want him to be with us. But that is a question for speaking with the player and the club. He is a professional.”
Ramsey the Gunner
Ramsey joined the Gunners from boyhood club Cardiff City in 2008 and has gone on to play 331 matches for the north London club managing 59 goals and 57 assists with his most prolific season being the 2013/14 campaign.
During that campaign, in which he predominantly played in central midfield, he registered 16 goals across 34 matches in all competitions and created a further 10 for his teammates.
Last season, Ramsey featured in 30 outings across all competitions, bagging 11 goals and 12 assists which earned him the club’s player of the season award.
With Jack Wilshere having left the club as a free agent to join West Ham earlier in the transfer window, Ramsey is now Arsenal’s longest serving player. But he could be tempted to also leave the club in search of more silverware. He has only won two FA cup titles in his 10 years at the Emirates.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan hopes the Welshman signs a new long-term deal to remain at Arsenal and has described the all-action midfielder as a symbol of the club.
He said: ‘His work rate is very, very high and everyone appreciates what he does on the pitch and off it, because he’s a true professional,” Mkhitaryan said. ‘Of course it’s very easy to play next to him because he tries to be everywhere to help the team – to score goals, to assist, to tackle, recover balls – and that’s why I’m going to be very happy if he stays at the club. ‘I think he’s been with the club for 10 years already and it seems that he became a symbol for this club. I will be very happy for him if he signs a new contract because he’s in the history of Arsenal already and I hope he can become a legend for Arsenal after a few more years.’