Aaron Ramsey Rules Out Joining Tottenham When He Leaves Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has ruled out the possibility of joining Tottenham Hotspur when he leaves the club at the end of the season.

Ramsey is in the final year of his deal, and the Gunners withdrew their offer of a new contract. The Welshman has been left in the dark as to why, but he won't be joining their bitter rivals.

Per The Sun's Mark Irwin, when asked if he would consider an offer from Spurs, he said:

"No. We all know the contract has been taken off the table and I still don't know why because a few weeks before we'd sort of agreed a deal and I was ready to sign.

"But something happened within the club and I'm not exactly sure what it was. Hopefully one day somebody will come up and tell me why they changed their minds.

"Maybe I'll get some clarity when the time is right. If I get some reasons, maybe I can accept them, but that hasn't happened yet.

"So all I can do at the moment is get my head down and work as hard as I can to help this team for the rest of the season."

Ramsey has been at the club 10 years, having joined from Cardiff at the age of 17 in 2008.

While it's clear the midfielder would have liked to have been better informed about the Gunners' decision to withdraw their offer, he harbours no ill will over the matter.

"These things happen in football and I'm not really thinking too much about that," he added.

Despite his contract situation, Ramsey still appears to have the backing of manager Unai Emery having been given the captain's armband on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League:

BT Sport pundits Glenn Hoddle and Martin Keown lauded him with praise before the 1-0 win over Sporting CP:

It is a puzzling situation Ramsey finds himself in, and it's a strange decision for the club to allow him to leave for nothing when they might otherwise have received a healthy profit.

The 27-year-old is an incisive contributor and still in his peak years, so he'll have no shortage of offers next summer.

Arsenal fans may be sad to see him leave, but at least they can rest easy knowing he won't be turning out for their bitter rivals.