Unai Emery’s spell at Arsenal is still viewed by many supporters as one of the darkest periods in the club’s modern history.
The Spaniard replaced Arsene Wenger in 2018, but instead of moving the club forward, many feel he took Arsenal backwards during his short stint in charge.
By the time Emery left in 2019, Arsenal looked completely broken both on and off the pitch.
Before his departure, the former Arsenal manager made several huge decisions – including one involving Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman has now revealed how Emery was the reason for his departure.
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Aaron Ramsey says Unai Emery cancelled his contract offer at Arsenal
Ramsey was one of Arsenal’s most important players during the latter years of Wenger’s reign.
The midfielder regularly delivered in huge moments and famously scored two FA Cup final winners for the club. That is why many supporters were surprised when Arsenal allowed him to leave for free in 2019.
Now, Ramsey has explained that the situation was not what many people believed at the time.
The Welshman claims he had already agreed a new contract with Arsenal and was ready to put pen to paper to extend his stay at the club.
However, once Emery realised what was happening, everything changed.
Ramsey has revealed that Emery decided to put the agreement on hold before it was eventually withdrawn completely.
Speaking about the situation, Ramsey said on Stadium Astro: “Did I want to leave Arsenal? No, I didn’t.
“Things happened that summer. I had a contract that I had agreed with the club, and then Unai came in and put a hold on everything.
“That’s when the contract was taken away from me, which I didn’t want. I wanted to stay at Arsenal. Arsenal was my team, and I wanted to commit the next four years to them.
“So, my thought process then was that I cannot play for another English team, so I’ve got to leave.”
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Mikel Arteta would have loved Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal
Looking back now, it feels obvious that Ramsey would have been a perfect player for Mikel Arteta.
The two men were actually teammates during their playing days at Arsenal, so they already understood each other extremely well.
Arteta always valued intelligent midfielders with a huge work ethic and an ability to arrive in the box at the perfect moment.
Ramsey had all of those qualities. The Welshman’s energy, leadership and knack for scoring goals from midfield would have suited Arteta’s system perfectly.
Sadly for Arsenal supporters, Emery’s decision meant Ramsey left the club before Arteta even arrived as manager.
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