It’s been two years and two days since Aaron Ramsey last played a Premier League game for Arsenal.
Ramsey left Arsenal on a free transfer to join Juventus in the summer of 2019 and a home win at the Emirates Stadium on May 12 in 2019 was his final domestic appearance.
Fast forward to now and the Gunners still haven’t replaced him.
The Wales international was a goalscoring midfielder and in Arsene Wenger’s last season, scored 11 times. During the 2013-14 campaign, he managed 16 goals in all competitions.
By virtue of the fact that Arsenal’s highest scoring midfielder this season is Emile Smith Rowe with four, you could definitely say that the North Londoners haven’t replaced Ramsey’s goals from this side of the pitch.
But there may be somebody who could.
Since joining Newcastle United on a half-season loan, Joe Willock has scored a fantastic five goals in the Premier League – including last-minute equalisers against Spurs and Liverpool.
Willock is due back at London Colney this summer and he may just be Arsenal’s answer to Ramsey.
After all, Unai Emery himself suggested that the 21-year-old could replace the Juventus man at the Emirates in the long term, saying in October of 2019: “He deserved to start this season with the first-team and with us. My decision was after I saw him the last two months of last season working with us, his really big challenge was that Jack Wilshere left here, Aaron Ramsey left and he had to take that opportunity to be with us.”
Let’s face it, Arsenal need goals from midfield and Willock has a knack of arriving in the box just at the right time, sort of like how Ramsey used to.
Mikel Arteta’s side have only managed 50 Premier League goals this season – one more than Aston Villa – and it’s plausible that the Spaniard will keep Willock around for the 2021-22 campaign.
He isn’t Ramsey, but he may well be the solution to a problem Arsenal haven’t solved since losing the Welshman.
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