Aaron Ramsey Opens up On the Real Reason He Ditched Arsenal for Juventus

Aaron Ramsey Opens up On the Real Reason He Ditched Arsenal for Juventus

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:12 PM
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  • Aaron Ramsey revealed he almost stayed at Arsenal until the last minute in 2019
  • According to the midfielder, the Gunners had ‘nothing on the table’
  • Juventus snapped up his services, putting him on a massive £400,000-per-week wage

Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has opened up on the real reason he moved to Juventus in 2019.

After spending 11 years in the famous red and white of Arsenal, the Wales international made a surprise switch to Turin in what looked like a hasty transfer at the time.

In the months leading up to his Arsenal exit, Ramsey genuinely believed he would be staying with the North London club, and a contract was on the cards.

He told The Times that he believed a new agreement was close, but things took a turn after the arrival of Unai Emery.

Ramsey, Juventus, Arsenal
Aaron Ramsey holding one of his children, acknowledges the crowd as he says farewell to Arsenal following the Premier League match vs Brighton on May 05, 2019. Photo by Catherine Ivill.
Source: Getty Images

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The Spaniard joined Arsenal as Arsene Wenger’s replacement and according to Ramsey, a verbal agreement over a new deal was almost immediately retracted, leaving him with little options.

"It all happened... I agreed to a contract they proposed. Things went quiet for a few weeks. I was telling my agent, 'Let's do it,' then all of a sudden the contract was no longer there. So there was nothing to sign or agree," Ramsey told The Times.
"It was a difficult start for a few months with Unai [Emery]. As the season was going on, I was playing more and playing really well. Then January came and I had to make a decision whether I carried on and saw what happened or whether I agreed somewhere.
"I decided to do that [move] because there was nothing on the table [from Arsenal]. There was a lot of change with the manager coming. I don't understand, I still don't know what exactly happened.

He ended up featuring 40 times for Arsenal under Emery, notching 14 assists.

Initially, the 31-year old struggled to live up to his potential at Juventus, as he struggled with injuries in Turin.

For Arsenal, Ramsey managed a total of 65 goals and set up 65 more in 371 appearances as a Gunner before moving to Juventus.

His stint at Juve has since ended, and Ramsey has moved on to the Ligue 1, joining French giants Nice.

In August 2022, he scored on his debut for Nice in a game against Toulouse, but has only started twice for the club so far.

He is set to become a free agent once again next summer.

Ronaldo declared most influential footballer ahead of World Cup

In other news, Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is still on top of the world on Instagram ahead of the World Cup

The Portugal captain leads the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr in a report released by analysts.

Ronaldo has recorded a 48% followers increase in the past year whilst averaging $3.5 million per post. A study done by analysts Nielsen Gracenote ranked players who are set to feature at the World Cup, which starts in November.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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Unai Emery