Aaron Ramsey linked with Arsenal

 

Not many people may have heard of Aaron Ramsey yet, but in my opinion from what I’ve seen and heard by living in Wales, either by seeing Wales Under 21 matches or by watching highlights of several matches he has been involved in, this lad seems to have a massive future ahead of him, and reports today suggest that we are still in the race for the 17 year old, despite reportedly having a £1m bid turned down last summer.

The Daily Mirror has today reported that Arsenal are tracking the 17 year old, and I think that we might just go in for him, whether it is in the summer or perhaps not until the end of next season, as he seems to fit our style of play very well. He is composed on the ball and has even featured for Cardiff’s first team on several occasions, playing centrally and using his very good vision and technique to spread the play around the pitch effectively. He even scored a goal in the FA Cup to highlight his potential. Ramsey first played for Cardiff when he made his debut aged 16 years and 123 days against Hull last season, making him their youngest ever player, surpassing John Toshack’s record.

The man who first discovered Wales’ brightest young talent, Gary Lewis, is very happy with the progress that he has made:

“I think Cardiff have done a great job bringing Aaron through,” Lewis said. “They have protected him in a way, but then fast-tracked him when that needed to be done.

“They have placed hurdles in his path and he has cleared every one so far, he is developing very well. And I feel they have introduced a finesse to his game. I saw him play against Wolves in Saturday’s FA Cup victory and, when you look at that little ball he played to put Paul Parry through, that little touch is the most obvious difference.

“I’d love to see him play in the Premiership, hopefully with Cardiff, but he has got everything in place to become a top, top player. Personally, I see him as a Bryan Robson type. Not afraid to put a foot in, but creative as well and, of course, able to score goals.”

And his current manager Dave Jones is also very happy with the youngsters potential, but is trying to ignore the hype surrounding the teenager and concentrates on treating him in the best way for his career.

“We have to be very, very careful, we all need to relax on the kid and be aware of his development, progression and age. He now needs to learn to put his foot on the ball and dictate the pace of the game - he is 17 years of age and he is not going to have that skill as part of his game yet. This kid will be bigger and better than a lot of those who have come through at Cardiff City, but I stress it must be done right.”

He has now played ten senior games for Cardiff, and it is probably a question of when rather than if Aaron Ramsey will leave the Bluebirds, but I do think that they should keep hold of him for another season before a big club gets him. However, with a “london-based club” already making a seven figure bid for him last summer, I would hope that it is Arsenal who win the race for his signature should he be sold.