Arsene Wenger Hints at Key Role for Aaron Ramsey—Should He Gamble?

With the season opener against West Brom less than a month away, Arsene Wenger is facing the dilemma of who will partner Cesc Fabregas in the heart of the Arsenal midfield after the departures Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva.

If you read into Friday’s reports, it looks like the answer could be the club’s first summer signing, Aaron Ramsey.

The Gunners fought off a host of Premier League clubs for the promising Cardiff City midfielder’s signature, with both Everton and Manchester United reported to be interested in signing the teen prodigy.United had even released a statement on the club’s official website claiming that a deal had been struck to sign the versatile 17-year-old, who can play anywhere across the defence or midfield.

However, this wasn’t the case as Ramsey signed for Arsenal, citing the influence of Arsene Wenger as the key reason for him choosing The Gunners.

Cardiff City chairman Peter Risdale later revealed that Manchester United was the club’s preferred destination for the player. His reason was that Sir Alex Ferguson had agreed that the midfielder would move back to the Championship club on loan for the following season.

However, Wenger insisted that if Ramsey were to sign, then he’d be a part of his first team plans for the season ahead. There is no doubt that the dangling carrot of Premier League football was what persuaded the player to move to North London.

As an Arsenal fan, I assumed that this meant that the player would face the usual task that every youngster at the club seems to face. This of course would be the chance to impress during matches in the Carling Cup, accompanied by a host of substitute appearances in the league and the occasional start in the early rounds of the FA Cup.

Doing this would show whether or not the player has what it takes to become a first-team regular. It’s a tried and tested method for Wenger, and over the past couple of seasons it has separated the men from the boys.

Taking this into account, it was a surprise to see Wenger’s comments, stating that Ramsey, who made his first team debut in the annual pre-season fixture at Barnet, is set for a key role in the Arsenal team this season.

Now, not to misquote Wenger—he hasn't said “Ramsey will start”—but Arsenal fans will ask if this is the right time to gamble with even more youngsters?

It has been well documented that Arsenal has now gone three seasons without a major trophy, with their last success being the FA Cup win in 2005. After coming so close in the Premier League last season, the fans will now feel that this is the season for silverware, but again, Arsene Wenger’s faith in youth may hinder Arsenal’s chances to achieve this.

So with regards to his comments about Ramsey, should Arsenal fans be worried?

Last season, Mathieu Flamini, whose name raised eyebrows when it appeared on the team sheet at the start of the season, was to partner Cesc Fabregas in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. Of course, fans thought that this was a short term measure, as the reliable Gilberto Silva was given extra time to recover after representing Brazil in the Copa America, but when Flamini managed to string together a number of impressive performances, the Brazilian had to settle for a place on the bench.

It looked like a new partnership had been uncovered, a partnership which many thought could be a long and fruitful one for the club. Fans and pundits were in agreement that putting Flamini into the midfield was a bit of a gamble. Was it really? Flamini had been at Arsenal for a number of years, he’d taken the chance to impress in some of Arsenal’s less important matches and he excelled during Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final in 2006.

Of course, the reason that it was less of a gamble was the presence of Gilberto, an experienced campaigner who had won titles at Arsenal, was there to replace Flamini should the player have a dip in form.

Unfortunately, Wenger doesn’t have this luxury anymore, as Flamini did to Arsenal what he did to his previous club and left on a bosman, while Gilberto, unhappy at being ousted last season, decided to make big money in Greece.

So that brings us swiftly onto Arsenal’s current midfield options. Fabregas is a given, but you have to worry that if he starts the season as the more experienced of two central midfielders, the added pressure could affect his form. I suspect that it probably won’t, but as an Arsenal fan I’d prefer it if we didn’t have to find out the answer to this question.

Who will play alongside Cesc Fabregas? The candidates are Abou Diaby, Denilson, Alex Song and, of course, Aaron Ramsey. If only we had kept hold of Lassana Diarra.

Out of the four, Diaby would be my choice. Firstly, he is the most experienced of the four, and the team can benefit from his physical presence.

When Flamini left, it was a obviously a disappointment, but I have wondered whether it could be another blessing in disguise. It will force Wenger’s hand to fix a problem that maybe he wouldn’t have if Flamini had stayed at the club.

My worry was that Flamini and Fabregas are to similar with regards to their stature. Both players are both lacking in height, and while Fabregas is irreplaceable, the same couldn’t be said for Flamini.

The weakest aspect of their partnership was that between them they often struggled to win aerial battles in the middle of the park and I often wondered whether this would be a problem if a Patrick Vieira type figure played alongside Fabregas.I believe that if Diaby came into the team, Arsenal fans would find out the answer to this question. I think the change in personnel would help Arsenal deal with set pieces, both in offence and especially defence, where the benefits of a gangly midfielder who is good in the air are obvious.

What we do know about Diaby is that he can break forward from midfield, with his unique dribbling style seeing him glide past players with ease in the way the Vieira used to, and of course, there are goals in his game as well. The screamer against Derby and the goal at Anfield in the Champions League immediately spring to mind.

My worry with Diaby is whether he is good enough defensively. While the player can tackle, and can read the game, he often strikes me as being a bit clumsy. Occasionally, Diaby can be guilty of losing concentration, or his touch lets him down. He also concedes possession cheaply and will dive into the odd rash tackle. His red card against Bolton last season is just one example this.

This leaves three, and personally I’d even say two, because to me Denilson is too similar to Fabregas.Don’t get me wrong, I think he is a wonderful talent, and as he’d probably find a place in most teams in the Premier League, he is probably too good to be a squad player at Arsenal. I believe that he won’t get enough games at the club and eventually leave to do great things elsewhere.

So we’re left with Song and Ramsey. The latter seems more likely, as Wenger has said he sees Song as a centre back who can come into midfield if needed, but not as a long-term option.

So now we have to look at Ramsey, with no Premier League experience and a handful of international caps to his name. He may be touted as the next Steven Gerrard, but even he wasn’t thrown in at the deep end.

I think Wenger needs to dip into the transfer kitty and ease the worries of every Arsenal fan. Gareth Barry would be ideal, he’s done it year in, year out, in the Premier League, and now he’s also started to show he can compete at international level. He’s also a natural leader and with a bit of luck he may even displace William Gallas as captain.

Better still, his ability to hold together a midfield which will allow Fabregas to roam, influence and even dominate a game in a way that we know he can, makes this potential partnership mouth-watering to the Arsenal fan.

Add the fact that he has the ability to chip in with the odd goal, put in a decent set piece delivery and bring versatility which would allow him to fill in at full back or on the wing down the left hand side, you’d have to wonder why Wenger hasn’t snapped him up already. Well, that’s the only problem, his price tag.

We know this, of course, as Liverpool have been chasing Gareth Barry for the whole summer, and the fee is hefty at around £18 million. Despite Wenger stating his admiration for the player, history shows that he won’t pay it. But maybe it’s time for Wenger not to be so stubborn?

The Arsenal manager claims that the benefits of the move to the Emirates stadium has allowed him to spend more in the transfer market, yet he also claims that the mortgage on Arsenal’s new home means that the club has to watch what they spend.

The only people that can answer my next question would be the Arsenal accountants, but why is a manager that has recouped more on transfer fees than he has spent, scared to spend big money when necessary?

He’s done it with Nasri, but that was funded from the money that came from Alexander Hleb’s transfer to Barcelona. Who knows? Still, although £18 million for Barry is steep, most fees are in the current transfer market.

You have to accept that for Aston Villa, their valuation is realistic. OPTA stats show that in the past two seasons Gareth Barry has scored 17 goals, clocked up even more assists and created an average of two goal scoring chances per game.

If you look at his pass completion rate, his excellent defensive records, and the fact that he is their captain, Barry could make the difference for a club with ambitions of breaking into the top four and reaping the rewards from the gold-mine of the Champions League. So why not just pay it?

United paid over the odds for Michael Carrick two seasons ago, but he made a difference and the club won the Premiership. What do you think that United fans remember? The fee paid, or the players lifting the trophy in May? £18 million is a lot to pay, and when you pay that much for a player, it will always be a gamble.

However, when it could make a lot of difference to Arsenal’s chances of winning a major trophy, why not take the gamble? Surely fans would prefer to see the manager take a gamble and fail, rather than hide behind the fact that it is a young side and their time will come.

To close, it would be appropriate to speak about Aaron Ramsey, who many believe will become a great player. What will help him, as I’m sure it will help many youngsters, is the ruling to allow Premier League clubs to field seven substitutes instead of just five in league matches.

When a manager has to name five substitutes, he has to name players who can do something to change a game if needed and pick five players who can suit any contingency plan that has to be made. Now with two extra subs, a player like Ramsey can come into a game when the team is in a comfortable position and thus gain valuable experience.

I’d be delighted to see Ramsey do this, and if he impresses then  he should start a few games later in the season. But to throw him or any of Arsenal’s young midfielders into the team now may be a gamble that won’t pay off. Why do it when there is no need to gamble? Let’s hope that Wenger gets his chequebook out!