Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has this evening revealed his opinion that it is Mesut Ozil, and not Aaron Ramsey, who should be set to depart the club imminently.
Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham
The Gunners welcomed fierce rivals Tottenham to the Emirates Stadium yesterday afternoon, for the latest edition of the North London derby.
The two sides headed into proceedings in impressive form, separated by just 3 points in the Premier League table.
In the end, an absolute modern-day classic unfolded in the English capital, with Arsenal having emerged as victors.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on December 1, 2018
A romping second-half showing from the Gunners saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang notch his brace to bring the hosts level, before further strikes from Alexandre Lacazette and Lucas Torreira handed Arsenal a thrilling and thoroughly-deserved 3 points.
Ramsey decisive
One key aspect of Arsenal’s win came in the form of the decision-making of manager Unai Emery.
The Spanish tactician, who has breathed a new lease of life into the Gunners since his arrival during the summer, reshaped his side with the half-time introductions of Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette in place of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi.
Welsh midfielder Ramsey played in a free-role of sorts, causing Tottenham all sorts of problems in picking up space between Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield and back-four. In truth, the Cardiff youth product, with his intricate link-up play and willingness to burst forward, proved one of the main catalysts behind Arsenal’s victory.
‘Rather have Aaron Ramsey’
And, with Ramsey set to depart the Emirates for free next summer, one individual who has today revealed his opinion that the Gunners are making a mistake in allowing the 27-year-old to depart is Arsenal legend Ray Parlour.
Speaking in an interview with TalkSport, Parlour noted that his former side may have been wiser in choosing to part ways with Mesut Ozil, who did not feature versus Tottenham yesterday, and keep hold of Ramsey:
‘My personal decision would be that I’d rather keep Ramsey than Ozil.’
‘I think Aaron brings a little bit to the team.’
‘Mesut Ozil is a great player. I’m not doubting that. But you can leave him out. We didn’t miss him [against Tottenham], whereas I thought Ramsey made an impact in the second-half.’
Mesut Ozil during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Huddersfield Town
‘Aaron has been there a long time. He’s been there for 10 years. So you’ve got to look that as well.’
‘Some players would sulk and say, ‘I’m leaving at the end of the season, so it doesn’t really matter’. But his attitude has been spot on.’
‘He knows he’s leaving at the end of the season, but he was brilliant in midweek in the Europa League.’
‘I would rather have Aaron Ramsey.’
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