‘All of a sudden the contract was no longer there’: Aaron Ramsey reveals how he left Arsenal after new deal offer was mysteriously withdrawn… as Welsh star tries to get back on track at Nice after Juventus struggles
- Aaron Ramsey left Arsenal in the summer of 2019 and signed for Juventus
- Wales midfielder has revealed that the Gunners had offered him a new contract
- But this was taken off the table, meaning he left for Turin on a free transfer
- Ramsey, 31, is now with Ligue 1 club Nice following a difficult time in Turin
Aaron Ramsey has revealed how Arsenal withdrew a new contract offer after he’d agreed terms just before his departure from the Emirates Stadium back in 2019.
The Wales midfielder’s contract was due to expire but Ramsey believed the club wanted him to stay.
So it came as something of a shock when he was allowed to leave for Juventus on a free transfer that summer.
Aaron Ramsey waves goodbye to the Emirates Stadium before he left Arsenal back in 2019
The Wales midfielder has revealed how he was offered a new contract but Arsenal – then managed by Unai Emery – and agreed to sign it before it was taken off the table
Speaking to The Times, the 31-year-old, now at French club Nice, said: ‘It all happened… I agreed to a contract they proposed.
‘Things went quiet for a few weeks. I was telling my agent, ‘Let’s do it’, then all of a sudden the contract was no longer there. So there was nothing to sign or agree.
‘It was a difficult start for a few months with Unai [Emery]. As the season was going on, I was playing more and playing really well.
‘Then January came and I had to make a decision whether I carried on and saw what happened or whether I agreed [to sign] somewhere [else].’
Juventus were keen on Ramsey and offered him a deal worth some £400,000-a-week, which he accepted in the summer of 2019.
Ramsey is now playing for Nice in Ligue 1 after struggling to make much impact at Juventus
‘I decided to do that [move] because there was nothing on the table [from Arsenal]’, Ramsey added.
Ramsey spent 10 years with the Gunners, scoring 64 times in 369 appearances and helped them to three FA Cup successes.
But despite the manner of his exit, Ramsey, who had a tear-soaked farewell on the Emirates Stadium…