Should Arsenal Stick or Twist with Midfielder Aaron Ramsey?

This summer, Arsenal’s midfield will undergo a minor revolution.

Three senior figures already appear certain to depart: The trio of Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky are all out of contract, and it seems highly unlikely that any of them will be offered an extension.

That will force Arsene Wenger to re-evaluate his midfield options—and that could give him a decision to make over the future of Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey is one of the biggest names in the squad, so it’s a bit of a surprise that his place at the club is even a subject for debate. However, Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail suggested that his future at Arsenal is “far from certain”:

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Sportsmail understands Ramsey's long-term future at the Emirates Stadium is far from certain.

His place in the starting XI next season is under threat with Arsenal looking to bolster their central midfield ranks this summer.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka is the club's No. 1 target in the position, while they also have a long-running interest in Real Madrid's Toni Kroos.

Indeed, Ramsey could find himself marginalised next season.

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If Arsenal were to let Ramsey go, there would surely be no shortage of takers. He is an enormously talented player with many strengths.

He has recovered from a severe injury to become a powerful and energetic midfielder, capable of tearing around the pitch for 90 minutes without breaking sweat. His tremendous engine is complicated by technical excellence—there are exquisite moments of skill in his game that occasionally make it surprising he was reared in the British academy system.

Furthermore, he has a nose for an important goal—just look at his match-winning contribution to the 2014 FA Cup Final, for example.

Ramsey is a gifted individual. However, the question Arsenal must now answer is whether or not he is the right man for their team. 

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This season, Leicester City have shown the value of fielding a balanced and tactically diligent side rather than a collection of gifted but ultimately disorganised individuals.

If Wenger’s task was merely to pick the best 11 players at Arsenal, Ramsey would be on the teamsheet every week. However, the trouble the Gunners boss has is in constructing a midfield that can accommodate the Welsh midfielder.

For all his ability, Ramsey has yet to really nail down a permanent position in the Arsenal side. In 2013/14, he was named as the club’s Player of the Season after spending the vast majority of the campaign as one of Arsenal’s two deep-lying midfielders. Paired with the disciplined Arteta, Ramsey was given freedom to roam forward.

The decision paid dividends, as he combined brilliantly with Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud to embark on a remarkable goalscoring streak. 

However, injuries and poor form have since seen Arteta fall out of contention for a starting spot. His place was taken by Francis Coquelin, and in Ramsey’s absence the Frenchman struck up a surprisingly effective partnership with Santi Cazorla. That sustained Arsenal for most of 2015, and in that period the Welshman was forced to take up a role on the right-hand side. 

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It’s a position he filled in the early portion of his career, with Wenger seemingly believing that operating in the confined spaces on the wing would improve his close control and ball-retention skills.

Restored to the flank, Ramsey flourished. In a style not dissimilar to that of Freddie Ljungberg, he was able to make diagonal runs into the box to feed off the centre-forward. As he drove infield, full-back Hector Bellerin provided width on the overlap. It was unconventional but very effective. 

Unfortunately, the right wing is not where Ramsey wants to play. He made his feelings clear in 2015, per Alex Richards of the Mirror:

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It [playing on the right] is not my preferred position. I am a central midfielder and that's where I like to be. I like to be involved a lot more in the game.

But the manager's asked me to do a job out there, and I do have the licence to drift in and get involved. 

When we are defending, I have to stay in position but when we get the ball I can drift. I am not a winger, I can’t knock the ball beyond my man like Theo [Walcott] does. 

I prefer to get in the little pockets of space, get involved and play the combinations but it is important to do a job for the team.

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It seems as if Wenger largely concurs with Ramsey. In the first match of this season, he tried to pair Ramsey with Coquelin in the middle but reversed his decision at half-time. That partnership has never quite clicked, and so Wenger is currently experimenting with pairing Ramsey and January signing Mohamed Elneny.

So far, that relationship has looked promising. Both players are naturally in the "box-to-box’" mould, but the Egyptian seems to be a little more willing to hold his position, allowing Ramsey the freedom he craves.

However, its three-game tenure has only taken in matches against West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland and Norwich City. It remains to be seen how Elneny and Ramsey will cope against superior opposition. 

We may find out this Sunday when Arsenal travel to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The concern is that with neither Ramsey nor Elneny being a pure defensive player, the back four may end up a little exposed.

However, there have been signs that Ramsey is beginning to adjust to the defensive obligations of his central role. In the recent win over Norwich, stats service Squawka showed that he made two clearances from inside his own penalty box.

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If Ramsey can add discipline to his natural drive, he is certainly worth persisting with in this role. There are drawbacks to many of Arsenal’s other central-midfield options, such as Cazorla’s age and Jack Wilshere’s brittleness. Ramsey has so many positive attributes but just needs to adopt a more sensible tactical approach. It’s easy to forget that he’s still only 25—that could yet come.

The secret will be identifying a partner who helps bring the best out of him. Elneny’s performances alongside Ramsey have been encouraging, but it may take a move into the transfer market to settle the issue.

There has been speculation that the arrival of someone like Xhaka could be what forces Ramsey out. Instead, it could be the making of him.

If Arsenal can find the right player to complement Ramsey, he could be their man in the middle for years to come.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.