Next summer, believe it or not, marks 10 years since Aaron Ramsey arrived at Arsenal. Signed from Cardiff City for a fee of around £5m, the fresh-faced 17-year-old put pen to paper on a long-term deal and spoke of his excitement for the future and admiration for manager Arsene Wenger.
Back then, Ramsey probably anticipated a trophy-laden spell with one of the biggest names in English football; instead, Ramsey has only three FA Cup winner's medals to show for his near-decade in north London, while on an individual level the midfielder has often been unable to sustain his form throughout an entire campaign.
Ramsey's 10th season at the Emirates Stadium could therefore be his most important one yet. Now 26, the Wales international is fast approaching the peak years of his career and will be desperate to help bring to an end to the Gunners' Premier League title drought.
In terms of the top flight, last term was arguably the most disappointing of Wenger's long tenure at Arsenal. With increased competition at the top of the division, the capital club fell out of the Champions League spots for the first time under the Frenchman; a deserved victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final ensured Arsenal did not end the season empty-handed, but it is difficult to argue that the side made progress last year.
Ramsey was tremendous in the Wembley defeat of Chelsea, scoring the decisive winning goal to cap an excellent all-round performance. It was the culmination of a period of fine form for the Welshman, who finished the season strongly after starting just seven Premier League matches between August and the middle of April.
His return to the team on a regular basis came in a 2-1 triumph at Middlesbrough, the game in which Wenger shifted to a 3-4-2-1 formation. Ramsey was paired with Granit Xhaka in the engine room that evening and, although the visitors to the Riverside Stadium rode their luck, the win was enough to persuade Wenger to stick with the same setup in the weeks that followed.
Now completely free from injury, Ramsey thrived in his favoured box-to-box role. Xhaka, more of a natural holding player, was content to sit deeper than his partner, which gave the 26-year-old ample opportunity to make late runs into the box and link up with his team-mates in the attacking third. This has always been Ramsey’s natural game, so it was no surprise to see him excel when carrying out such functions.
“I have to perform to the best of my ability to be in this team and that’s what I do - I give my everything every time I’m in the team or going out to train,” Ramsey said on Arsenal’s trip to Australia last week.
“The system suited a lot of players. It gives us a platform to build from. I felt good in that formation - it freed me up to get forward a lot more and get into some dangerous positions so I really thought it worked for us towards the end of the season.”
As Arsenal ready themselves for another significant campaign, Ramsey will hope to again be influential in the acquisition of silverware.
