ATVO Exclusive: Ramsey - It’s great to be back - 13th Ocotber 2010

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Almunia: Ramsey 'Very Similar' To Fabregas

After an impressive season for Cardiff City, during which he helped the Bluebirds to the FA Cup final, Ramsey snubbed the likes of Manchester United and Everton to join Arsene Wenger’s young Gunners this summer.

The 17-year-old has earned rave reviews already during the pre-season. He demonstrated his vision and passing range to great effect during the first half against Barnet recently, giving credence to Wenger’s claim that the youngster’s future lies in central midfield.

The Arsenal manager also hinted that it will not be long before Ramsey makes the step up to the first-team, although it would seem he would have to displace Fabregas – perhaps Europe’s best young playmaker – for that to happen.

But as far as Almunia is concerned, if anyone is going to step in for his fellow Spaniard, then there are few more suitable candidates than Ramsey.

“Aaron is a very good creator of chances, very similar to Fabregas,” the 30-year-old goalkeeper told the press.

“But of course we must remember that he is still very young and he has to learn from people like Cesc, Abou Diaby and the rest of the players that have been here for more time.”

Wenger hints at key Ramsey role

Arsenal Wenger has hinted that Wales Under-21 international Aaron Ramsey could play a key role in Arsenal's central midfield.

Winger Ramsey, 17, who is set to make his debut against Barnet on Saturday, made the £5m switch to the Emirates from Cardiff last month.

And with Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb and Gilberto Silva leaving, there is a need for a midfielder.

"I think in the future he will be a central midfielder," said Wenger.

"How is down to him and down to us on how well we work with him.

"In my mind though there are no restrictions on his development because he has played a lot already."

Wenger also told the club's official magazine, Arsenal, of his joy at capturing the Caerphilly-born youngster who attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

"We watched him throughout the whole season," said Wenger.

"We were always on the case, but unfortunately we weren't the only ones because Liverpool, Man United and Everton were strongly behind the case.

"It was a big satisfaction for us that we were able to beat these teams to signing him."

Ramsey plans to start against West Brom

Aaron Ramsey has already set his sights on making his Arsenal debut against West Brom on 16th August.

The teenager is currently Arsene Wenger's only summer recruit to a squad which ended the 2007/08 campaign empty-handed.

However, with more new faces expected to arrive before the new season gets under way the former Cardiff midfielder knows that he will have his work cut out if he is to make an impression in the Gunners first-team.

The 17-year-old will report for pre-season training on Friday, along with those members of the squad who did not feature at Euro 2008 or are currently injured.

With an opportunity to make a good first impression, plus plenty of friendly fixtures approaching in the next few weeks, Ramsey sees no reason why he should not be in contention once the top flight action begins again next month.

"Obviously the plan for me is to have a good pre-season and try my hardest to get up to the fitness levels the Premiership requires," said Ramsey in the South Wales Echo.

"I will try my best to get in the starting line-up at the beginning of the season against West Brom.

"I am joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, one which always gives young players an opportunity at the highest level.

"I am going to work my hardest to be part of future successes there."

Ramsey was being chased by a number of Premier League clubs at the time of his move to Arsenal, with childhood heroes Manchester United among those involved in the race for his signature.

However, the Wales U21 international spurned the opportunity to join up with Sir Alex Ferguson's men in favour of joining a side renowned for their development of young talent.

"I supported Manchester United as a youngster but once I had spoken to Arsene Wenger, the way he described the Arsenal set-up and their plans for the future impressed me," added the youngster.

"I just had a gut instinct that the right move for me would be joining Arsenal. It was my decision.

"I thought about where the best place would be for me to develop as a player, and that was Arsenal.

"I don't think too many people wouldn't look forward to coming under the guidance of Arsene Wenger and playing next to someone like Cesc Fabregas.

"Arsene is a great manager and Cesc can make something happen out of nothing on the pitch."

Who Will Anchor Arsenal's Midfield?

With Mathieu Flamini swapping London for Milan, speculation has been rife as to whether Arsene Wenger will be replacing the tenacious, moderately talented heel-snapper with an incoming transfer, or promoting from within.

Flamini had been employed in a variety of positions during his four seasons at the club, and only rose to fame in the season just gone because of his consistent performances, high energy levels, tackling ability, and acute passing skills.

It is an ironic twist of fate that he will be playing for AC Milan in September, as he could have been sealing a deal to Birmingham City, this time last year.

‘Flatusso’, as he was endearingly called by his Arsenal team-mates, only gained a long run in the side due to Gilberto's fatigue and loss of form following an enduring Copa America tournament with Brazil, in the summer of 2007.

Will another unexpected force rise to prominence under Wenger's tutelage come August? Or will he instead turn to the transfer market for his holding midfielder?

Gilberto Silva

The man who Flamini ousted, is being re-considered for the role he had made his own only a few years ago. Dubbed 'Volante' or 'The Invisible Wall', the former World Cup winner would offer cover for attacking wingbacks, Clichy and Sagna, and also for when Fabregas roams further up the pitch.

Gilberto isn't the toughest tackler the Premiership has ever seen - he is more passive when he defends. At 6'3'' he would help aid the area Arsene wants to work on this summer - balls over the top. Do you think it is a coincidence that in Gilberto's absence the team suffered in this department?

Flamini was a better tackler on the ground, but at 5'10'' would not have been able to aerially man-mark a target man as effectively as Gilberto, after all, Flamini's main strength was his energy.

Likelihood: Retrograde. Didn't take the chances offered to him last season. His stamina may now be an issue, but he will remain the fall back option.

Miguel Veloso

This young defensive-midfielder from Portugal has recently been linked to North London, but mainly through his agent, Paulo Barbosa, who said: ''We have not had contact from the Arsenal board, but from a member of the technical staff at the club.''

If reports are to be believed then an offer of £23.7million would be enough to activate a release clause in his contract with Sporting CP.

Like Arsenal's former 'Running Man', the 22-year old is a utility man who has played all across the defensive line, as well as in the centre of midfield. After Veloso collected his winners medal in the Portuguese Cup at the end of last season, he said: ''I do not know if this is my last game for Sporting, lets see what the future holds for me.''

Likelihood: Unlikely, unless Sporting are willing to accept offers below the release clause.

Denilson Pereira Neves

The U20 Brazil captain was one of the brightest prospects at Arsenal when he first arrived at the club. He was touted, along with Lucas of Liverpool, as the future of the Brazilian midfield. Now, with the emergence of Anderson, and the regression of Denilson's form and ability last season, it is unclear where this leaves him.

Arsene Wenger once described him as ''a mix of Tomas Rosicky and Gilberto Silva.'' Denilson has good playmaking ability, and if he were to make the holding role his own he would need to sharpen his defensive skills.

His passing is in shadow of Fabregas' at the moment, and if they were to operate in the centre of midfield together they would need to work in tandem, and this may limit Fabregas' ability to go forward and create.

Likelihood: Plausible. He needs to re-find his feet, first. And he does not seem to be tough enough defensively, at least not from what we saw in fleeting glimpses over the season gone by.

Mark Noble

Before the season came to a close, a Sunday newspaper claimed that an insider at Arsenal had said: ''Mark's name was certainly mentioned as a potential signing in January, when the midfield situation was discussed but there was no approach. He will become a big target if Flamini decides to call it a day.''

Flamini did call it a day. The question remains: has Noble become a big target? Alan Pardew has lavished praise on the England U21 international, describing Noble as the best prospect at the club, and went on to say: ''Mark is a capable holding midfielder, dictating games because he has the passing ability, the bite, and the will to the win.''

Whether or not Wenger respects Pardew's opinion remains to be seen, what with their decorated history.

Likelihood: Highly doubtful. Noble is a local Hammer, as are his family. What might swing the balance is Arsene's admission that he was looking at a player with 'Premiership experience', but this does not necessitate a move for Noble.

Vassiriki Abou Diaby

Diaby looked promising when Wenger snapped him up in the 2006 January transfer window, but he has never looked the same since he suffered a terrible broken and dislocated ankle.

From some sections in the media Diaby has been touted as Vieira's heir: they are both powerful and leggy, but the comparisons end there. Whilst Vieira revelled in the defensive role, Diaby looks preferable as an attacking midfielder.

To the frustration of many Arsenal fans though, Diaby was continually deployed on the left flank last season - presumably in a bid to build up his left foot. Since then, he has scored with his left peg, so to a certain extent, this aim has worked.

Likelihood: Unlikely, unless he suddenly decides to turn it up a few notches. Substitute appearances (more of them) may have to suffice.

Michael Johnson

Reports in May suggested that a trident of Liverpool; Tottenham; and Arsenal, were keen on the 20-year old Mancunian. Analogies have already been made between him, and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, which may seem premature, but his energy, drive, and general midfield ability are worthy of praise alone.

A move for Johnson would also slot in nicely with Arsene's philosophy of recruiting young talent, and nurturing and developing it in his own, methodical way.

Likelihood: Improbable. The main question is: would he be able to take his game another level and perform week-in week-out under the spotlights at the Emirates? With Johnson next to Fabregas, the midfield would just get younger.

Alexandre Song Billong

The once maligned Cameroonian is now receiving praise for his coming of age. Recently rewarded with a long-term contract thought to be a four-year extension, it seems evident that he is a part of Wenger's long-term plans.

The 20-year old featured 15 times for the Arsenal first team last season, and played a starring role in Cameroon's march to the final of the African Cup of Nations, himself being awarded a place on the team of the tournament.

He is a strong holding midfielder, but operated as a defender for the last five matches of the 2007-08 season. He is composed on the ball, and, when playing centre back, he enjoys dribbling out of defence - much in the same vein as Rio Ferdinand, or Lucio.

Likelihood: Possible. Song will feature heavily next season, but where? Wenger's pre-season set-up will offer more clues.

Yaya Toure

Toure would be an ideal replacement to fill the void that Flamini left in Arsenal's midfield. The Ivorian is held in high regard and is considered among the top midfielders in World football. Yaya Toure, younger brother of current Arsenal defender, Kolo, has impressive physical attributes, can hold and protect the ball, and, like Kolo, is a capable passer.

He is widely seen as a box-to-box midfielder, so in this respect would presumably be a like-for-like replacement for Flamini. Txiki Begiristain, Barcelona's Director of Football, complicated a potential transfer a few weeks ago by stating: ''Yaya is not on the market... we want him to stay with us. Josep Guardiola considers him an important player in his new project.''

However, with the Catalan club's recent purchase of Seydou Keita, a hard-tackling midfielder, together with their active pursuit of Aliaksandr Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor, a player plus cash deal might well be in the offing.

Likelihood: Plausible, exciting, but dependent on Barcelona's willingness to depart with a player they have only had on the books for one season, and Wenger's resurgence of interest in a player he had on a pre-season trial in 2002. Would be the ideal partnership in many ways if Arsenal can pull it off.

Marcos Senna

The Spanish international is the latest to be linked with the Gunners, and looking at the way he combined with Fabregas in the second half of the clash against Russia, the partnership would be perfect.

He has kept Xabi Alonso on the Spanish bench for a year now, and that should just about say it all for the Premiership fans. He has just the physique and attitude to stamp his authority on the pitch, and become a perfect foil for Fabregas. Like with Yaya Toure, though, a lot depends on Villarreal's willingness to let him go.

Likelihood: Plausible and exciting again, but unlikely. The Yellow Submarines have just qualified for the Champions League, so unless Wenger decides to cough up in excess of 15 million euros, this one looks like a dead end.

Torsten Frings

Arguably the toughest midfielder in this list, the German international has been linked with many European clubs over the last two years. However, he has remained keen to stay on at Werder Bremen through all this, rejecting the chance to move to Juventus as recently as last summer.

He is back fit, and would offer Arsenal just the steel they need, albeit he could hinder their passing game just a touch. Nonetheless, you need people to do the dirty work in midfield, and those do not come much better than him. He has a stinging shot from distance too.

Likelihood: Unlikely. Whether it is for family reasons or just loyalty to Bremen, he looks likely to see out his career there. It will be a massive coup if Wenger can convince him otherwise.

Kolo Toure

Kolo played in the middle of the park at the beginning of his Arsenal career, in early European games, and was even regarded as a utility man - much like Flamini at the genesis of his Arsenal journey.

He still has many of the attributes to be a success in that role. He is strong in the tackle, and playing further up-field will increase his opportunities of unleashing that beast of a shot we have all seen him revel in so many a time. He can also play clever passes; at the back end of last season he threaded a weighted pass through to Adebayor against Reading, and also for Van Persie against Derby, both in April.

Moving Kolo into central midfield could also solve the chink in the Gunner's defensive armoury of balls over the top if Gallas was partnered with someone like, say, Song, who has increased his stock of late, or even a new signing. When Kolo has played wing back, however, his stamina has looked suspect. And this would be a worry in the 80th minute of a game if he can barely track back.

Likelihood: Possible, but unlikely. If Wenger was toying with this idea then he would have experimented this tactic at the end of the season while he was giving games to Song, rather than wait for the beginning of a new campaign. Pre-season will be key, but smart money would be on him playing at the back.

Aaron Ramsey

The Welsh whiz kid's role at Arsenal is up for debate. Some see him playing a Cescy role but out on the wing, others see him as a defensive midfielder.

Bob Wilson, Arsenal's goalkeeping coach, said: ‘‘the possibilities of Ramsey and Fabregas in the middle are endless. Ramsey is athletic, quick, and already has brilliant quality on the ball.''

Likelihood: Unlikely. Grooming him into a holding midfielder would surely stifle his attacking prowess. On the other hand, he has played across the defensive line for Cardiff, as well as the midfield. Either way, he will be restricted to Carling Cup games, and the occasional league outing, so for next season anyway, he will not be Arsenal's anchor.

Conclusion

The more likely candidates appear to already be at Arsenal. This time last year it would have been widely assumed that Gilberto would carry on his duties in that position. If one put forth Flamini’s name for the role, your views would have rightly been frowned upon.

So to conclude, unless Arsenal sign Yaya Toure or Marcos Senna, expect Gilberto to do the job next season, with Diaby, Song and Denilson all getting their share of chances to earn a starting spot.

Aaron Ramsey Compilation

This a 2 and half minute video compilation on our 1st signing, this summer.

The video compilation is only from the Portsmouth v Cardiff in the FA Cup final. Aaron Ramsey was a second half substitute for the Welsh team, which they lost by 1-0.

Ramsey completes move from Cardiff City

Its official now. Our first confirmed signing is Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff City.

He opted to join Arsenal, rejecting the contract offers from Manchester United and Everton.

You can read more about him in the official site here.

Although still only 17, Aaron has already represented his country at Under-21 level and became the youngest player ever to represent Wales at this level in August 2007, in a 4-3 victory over Sweden Under-21s. He was also recently called up to the full Welsh squad for their friendly international matches in Iceland and Holland, but was an unused substitute on both occasions.

Young midfielder Ramsey progressed through the youth ranks at Cardiff City and also became the youngest ever player to represent the Bluebirds, coming on as a substitute in the League match against Hull City on April 28, 2007, at just 16 years 124 days, breaking the previous record set by John Toshack.

Since making his debut for Cardiff City in the 2006/07 season, Ramsey went on to make a total of 22 appearances for the Welsh side, including a substitute appearance in last season’s FA Cup Final against Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium.

Ramsey, born in Caerphilly on Boxing Day 1990, has already had a good experience of Emirates Stadium. Aaron actually scored Cardiff City’s first goal in the FA Youth Cup Quarter-Final in 2007, in a match which was watched by 11,610 supporters, with Arsenal eventually coming out 3-2 winners.

Manager Arsène Wenger said: “We’re delighted to have signed Aaron Ramsey. He is a young player who has shown huge potential with his performances for both Cardiff City and Wales at under-17 and Under-21 levels. He is still only 17, but has already shown that he is a very intelligent and mature player with great quality. Although he mainly plays in midfield, Aaron is a versatile player and can also play across the defence. We are all looking forward to welcoming Aaron to the Club for our pre-season preparations.”

Aaron Ramsey said: “I’m so happy to have signed for Arsenal. I am joining one of the biggest clubs in the world and can’t wait to meet my new team mates. I recently met with Arsène Wenger and he was a big factor in my decision to join Arsenal. He talked to me for a long time about the Club and the plans for the future, which really excites me. Arsenal is a Club which always gives young players an opportunity at the highest level of the game and I am going to work my hardest to be part of future successes here.

“It was a really difficult decision to leave Cardiff City, they are my local club with great supporters and I would just like thank everyone at Cardiff City for their support and help in my early career. I will still look out for their results and there will always be a place in my heart for the Bluebirds.”

Aaron will join up with his new team mates at Arsenal for pre-season training in early July.