Outgoing Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s decision to leave the Emirates Stadium for Italian champions Juventus is confusing to a legend Tony Adams, who says the Welshman is moving to a smaller club. Ramsey signed a pre-contract agreement in February to join the Bianconeri after this season after talks between himself and Arsenal over a new deal had broken down last year despite a deal already being on the table from the club.
The 28-year-old is still showing good form in the Premier League though, having scored the opening goal in the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League on Saturday. And the fact that he has opted to leave the Emirates Stadium for Turin has shocked Adams, who told Sky Sports: “Well it’s a different game and it’s a different club to the one that I left in 2002. We would be challenging. The Juventus players would be signing for us.”
Adams added: “Aaron Ramsey is too good to let go, and to not be an Arsenal player for ever. To be fair, why would you go to Juventus anyway? They’re a smaller club than Arsenal. That’s the way I’ve always felt about the Arsenal. But other people think differently – maybe he thinks Cardiff’s bigger.”
Ramsey began his career with the Bluebirds before signing for Arsenal in 2008, and next season will be the first time he plays for a club outside of the United Kingdom. He follows the likes of former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole and Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart in moving from the Premier League to Serie A in recent years, Hart having spent the 2016-17 season on loan at Torino while Cole played for Roma from 2014-16.
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But both of those aging players were want-aways at their respective clubs, and the Gunners have received criticism from a number of former players for being unable to sign Ramsey to a new deal. In all likelihood, Ramsey will be joining up with the Italian champions as Juve boast a 16-point lead over Napoli in the top flight at present, although their Champions League campaign is under threat after they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in their round of 16 first leg. The return fixture takes place in Turin on Tuesday with Juve still looking for a first European title since 1996.
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