Henrikh Mkhitaryan hopes Aaron Ramsey signs a new deal at Arsenal and goes on to become a club legend.
Despite the Wales international confirming yesterday that contract negotiations between himself and the club are ongoing, there are concerns that the Gunners may have to sell the 27-year-old before the current transfer window closes, should the impasse continue.
The midfielder’s current terms end in June next year meaning he can to talk to foreign suitors about a free move as soon as January.
As Arsenal’s longest-serving player Mkhitaryan sees the Welshman, who signed from Cardiff in 2008, as a symbol of the club and hopes the situation will be resolved soon.
“He has been at this club for 10 years already and it seems he has become a symbol for this club,” Mkhitaryan told reporters in Singapore.
“I will be very happy for him if he is going to sign a new contract because he is [part of the] history of Arsenal already and I hope he can become a legend.
“His work rate is high and everyone appreciates what he does on the pitch and off the pitch because he is a true professional.
“It is very easy to be next to him on the pitch because he tries to be everywhere to help the team, to score goals, with assists, to tackle and recover balls.
“That’s why I am going to be very happy if he stays at this club.”
Mkhitaryan also touched on how much he’s enjoying life at Arsenal since joining from Manchester United in January.
The Armenia international has since been joined by two former teammates from Borussia Dortmund – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sokratis – and he’s looking forward to what the new season has in store.
“It’s always nice to play with your old team-mates, with Aubameyang and Sokratis,” he told the Mirror.
“We’re all looking forward to the new season and we’re going to do our best to help this team reach the top four of the Premier League.
“I am always in touch with my old team-mates, it doesn’t matter whether it is in Dortmund, Shakhtar, Manchester…
“I am in contact with them and it’s always nice to talk to them to know how things are going in their lives.
“Of course, when I came to Arsenal and heard they had the opportunity to come here I was just convincing them: ‘Come to the club.’ Because I knew they would fit in well.”
With a full pre-season under his belt, albeit with a new head coach, Mkhitaryan believes that he and the club are well placed to enjoy a positive season after the trauma of the last campaign.
“It will be easier. Why? Because I am starting the season with this team and obviously with the new manager you understand more of what he is asking of you and the new playing style he wants to bring to Arsenal.
“It’s going to be a good season for me and the club.”
Miki the ambassador, get him on the board!
All sounds good. Let’s see how they do on the pitch today to see if it is converting into performance.
COYG!
Sell the greedy boy, we’ve stood by him all those years and now we’re been held to ransom by him
Cech
Bellerin Mustafi Sokratis Kolasinac
Torreira Xhaka
Ozil
Mkhitaryan Lacazette Aubameyang
we can certainly do without him
Ainsley Maitland-Niles & Elneny will provide decent backup
Greedy boy is a bit of a stretch.He will of course want the best contract for himself.won’t you in your Jobs? But here’s the deal,we can just sell him if it doesn’t work out by the end of this week or so.This doesn’t need to get bitter,after all he gave 10 years of his career to us.maybe Legend is a bit too far but cunt and snake shouldn’t be used if he departs either.
that line-up would get shredded to pieces by any half-decent side
no protection for the full-backs, and only one guy in the front-six who can actually tackle
It is hard to see where he starts, which I am sure is a major consideration for him.
“obviously with the new manager you understand more of what he is asking of you”
I wonder if that’s a reference to how Wenger wanted his players to express themselves, rarely giving specific tactical instructions.
A lot is made of player statements about getting more direct instruction/tactics/data from Emery and how it shows Arsene didn’t bother with any of that…but given Emery’s reputation for being reaaally “on it” with that side of the game, I’m sure most managers would be considered less tactically driven, not just Arsene.
Ramsey must be thinking if the newbies can get 180k I should at least get 225k, which is fair in my opinion.
I know this would be controversial, but why is he already not considered a legend; albeit not at the level of Henry’s and Adam’s. He has played a massive part in recovering from the drought/rebuilding phase. A legend of the modern times for Arsenal imo, want him to stay. I’m sure he wants to stay as well just looking for a better deal (understandably). But wonder if the new regime would sell by looking at Sanchez situation.
Top 4 is ok with everyone now again??
Wasn’t that a stick to beat poor Mr Wenger with?
Can we not aim for the title?
This is Arsenal ffs guys
Unai knows
Top 4 is ok because of the same man who brought the club to be in mid table for the 2 years and probably would’ve still finished in mid table this season. Had he not been sacked.
I wouldn’t say that 5th or 6th place is exactly mid table. Not very good I agree but please don’t exaggerate
This is quite interesting, actually. This is a great opportunity for the new management to lay down a marker and distance themselves from the pathetic practices of the Wenger years. Just like others on this page, I suspect that this is all about money. Ramsey wants to stay but, having seen the ridiculously lucrative new contract that Ozil has somehow negotiated, wants a massive pay increase. But the club aren’t will to pay anywhere near what he wants. So now we have an impasse. Ramsey should be told to either sign before the transfer window closes or he should be… Read more »
Great comment – spot on. He should be told to sign or be binned off.
Fatgooner gets downvoted, almost always rightfully, every time he posts. I see nothing wrong with the above though. Ramsey is good, not excellent. Getting held to ransom by players is not how big clubs run, and Emery seems to be pragmatic enough to do what’s best with our penny pinching hierarchy keen to not lose money. If that means selling and strengthening weaker areas, that’s great. We’d all rather keep him and somehow squeeze him, miki, ozil and laca into a first 11 that’s hard to beat (!). But what we really want is to progress, play good football and… Read more »
It may be reasonable to sell him if he does not sign a new contract, to avoid the risk that he will later go on a free–there are arguments on both sides to this. But you also advocate that if he does not sign, “he should be frozen out and left to train with the reserves.” Why? Punishing a player for trying to get a better contract, apart from being self-defeating, also serves to alienate every modern player. A player has the right to leave when his contract is up, just as Arsenal have the right not to offer him… Read more »
By not signing a new contract Ramsey is demonstrating that he’s not committed to the club. Do you really think that Aaron will be giving his all this coming season if he knows he’s about to head for the exit door? Sanchez’s attitude stank in his last year for us, especially when Wenger blocked his City move. That what happens when players know they are going.
I suspect that his agent would love him to do a Sol Campbell and pick up a juicy signing-on fee as a free agent. And Arsenal would be the losers.
I really want Rambo to stay and become captain, but if he doesn’t want to sign, we need to move him on as quickly as possible and reinvest that money into the wide areas. We’ve got much more depth centrally than out wide.
The clock is running on this. If he hasn’t signed by August – and I don’t think he will – then we have less than two weeks to ship him out and get a replacement in.
It would be extraordinary if we kept him beyond the ‘signings in’ deadline, only to flog him before the TD closes in Europe. Truth is, I can see him going to Utd., whether we like it or not. Just make sure we get an optimum price for him and get a replacement in.
I’m glad we got Miki.
Doesn’t make any sense for us not to keep Ramsey Mhki was partially signed for a reason (wrong one) in lieu of Ozil’s contract last season and Ramsey’s currently. BUT both Mhki AND Ozil are 29++ Much will depend on Ozil and how he sees his future in a season’s time. Remember that although he has been (erroneously) played as a box to box largely due to lack of options in midfield, he is frankly BEST in the hole attacking the box, ie. Ozil’s position. There’s going to be potential opportunity in advance midfield for players like The Jeff as… Read more »