Arsenal Must Learn from Aaron Ramsey Contract Mistake, Says Raul Sanllehi

Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi has called on the club to avoid letting key players run their contracts down to the final season, as that is what caused Aaron Ramsey to end up at Juventus on a free transfer.

Sanllehi spoke to the club's official website (h/t Evening Standard's Malik Ouzia) about Ramsey's exit, explaining how Juventus' wage offer to the Welshman couldn't be matched, as it would have upset the balance in the dressing room:

"For circumstances, whatever it was, we went to the last year of his contract – that's a problem. When you get to the last year of the contract, because of the way it's designed, there are a lot of clubs that can get that player for free.

"Because of not renewing Aaron on time, we were in a situation where Aaron had incredible offers. He was really keen to stay with us and he was ready to make an effort, but at the end of the whole process we had to be responsible with ourselves and protect the interests of Arsenal.

"We realised that we were going to cause an imbalance that would have been very harmful for the team's sake.

"The position of the club to losing a player of the quality, not only football quality but human quality, as Aaron – we have to avoid that."

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Per Ouzia, the Gunners have a long history of making similar errors, resulting in reduced transfer fees for Alexis Sanchez―who left in a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan―and Robin van Persie, as well as a massive new deal for Mesut Ozil.

Ramsey will move to Turin in the summer as a free agent and will make as much as £400,000 per week, according to BBC Sport's David Ornstein. That will make him the highest-paid British player, based on basic salary.

The Wales international joined his future team-mates for their title celebrations on Sunday:

He also took a tour of the stadium:

Ramsey joined Arsenal in 2008 and played a key role in three FA Cup runs. Always a fan favourite, his farewell became an emotional affair:

He played his last match for the club in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals against Napoli, picking up an injury and leaving the pitch before the half-time mark.

Per Goal's Charles Watts, he's expected to fly to Azerbaijan to support his old club in the Europa League final against Chelsea on Wednesday. His contract will expire at the end of June.