Ramsey set to leave on a free transfer in the summer and join Serie A champions Juventus
Thursday 10 January 2019 14:03, UK
Aaron Ramsey looks set to leave Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer and join Juventus, according to Sky Sports News, so will he be missed?
Reports suggested the Wales international would extend his decade-long stay at the Emirates earlier this season, but the club withdrew their contract offer and the midfielder looks set to undertake a medical with the Serie A champions on Sunday.
Here, we examine the statistics on his importance to Arsenal…
Ramsey has been in and out of Emery's team so far this season but he has already notched a team-topping six assists in just 787 Premier League minutes.
Ramsey ranks highly for chance creation, too. According to Opta, he has fashioned 17 scoring opportunities so far - only seven fewer than Granit Xhaka - despite playing fewer than half the number of minutes.
Ramsey opened his goal account for the season when he came off the bench to finish a slick Arsenal move in the 5-1 thrashing of Fulham, but he has been outscored by Ozil, who netted his third goal of the season in the 3-1 win over Leicester in October.
Emery clearly sees Ozil - who signed a lucrative new contract last season - as the creative fulcrum of his team in the long term, but Ramsey's statistics suggest he has still played a pivotal role at the club, too.
He has been involved in eight goals this season - only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have played a part in more.
Ramsey may not figure in Emery's long-term plans but the statistics suggest he still has an important role to play this season.
A look at the statistics over the last five seasons as a whole gives a more rounded picture of Ramsey's influence at Arsenal.
The 27-year-old has struggled with injuries during that time, meaning he only ranks seventh for Premier League minutes played, but he is higher in attacking metrics.
Since the start of the 2014/15, Ramsey has created 152 chances in total. That puts him third among Arsenal players, although he is still a long way behind Ozil (423) and the departed Alexis Sanchez (272).
He ranks second for assists with 28, some 14 shy of Ozil - but those stats suggest the Welshman has actually created a higher proportion of high-quality chances.
What about his own goal threat?
Ramsey ranks second for shots with 248, behind only Sanchez, who had 426 before his departure to Manchester United.
The Welshman is never reluctant to test the goalkeeper but his goal total in the last five seasons is a relatively modest 21 - which puts him below Sanchez, Giroud, Ozil and Aubameyang.
A total of just 21 goals from 248 shots gives Ramsey a conversion rate of just 8.5 per cent. Has that wastefulness contributed to the decision to let him go?
Ramsey has struggled for consistency at Arsenal and there are still question marks over his best position, but few players have stepped up on the big occasions like him.
Ramsey's knack for the big occasions has been most apparent in the FA Cup. Back in 2014, it was his extra-time goal which clinched Arsenal's first piece of silverware in nine years against Hull.
Ramsey was named man of the match that day at Wembley and he was similarly important in the victory over Chelsea in 2017, scoring what turned out to be the decisive goal after Diego Costa had cancelled out Sanchez's opener.
Arsenal will need someone else to step up to the plate when he is gone.
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