Aaron Ramsey has been linked with Fulham before, but this time it makes a lot of sense.
With Danny Murphy gone and a midfield rock needed who can both defend and attack, Martin Jol has looked to a man rumored to be interested in a move to Craven Cottage in the past, Aaron Ramsey.
Last year, Mark Hughes tried to secure a season-long loan deal for Ramsey, with an option to buy at the end, but ultimately Arsene Wenger didn’t bite.
Now, despite starting 27 matches and appearing in seven more last season, it seems that with Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshire set for a return (they hope), plus Arsenal are the leading candidates for Yann M’Villa. With those three men ready to go by the start of the season, it could see Ramsey bow out of the Gunners starting lineup.
Thus, as footballers are always looking for playing time to stay sharp and show the world what they’re capable of, Ramsey may be interested in joining Fulham to secure regular playing time, of which he’d see a lot of, with the departure of Danny Murphy.
According to a very reliable source on Twitter who has contacts who would know (you should all give him a follow, incredibly smart Fulham fan, @willpaul25), Fulham are set to make Arsenal an initial offer of £5.5 million, with a maximum of £4 million more possibly tacked on depending on appearances, cup and league finishes, etc. Also, Fulham would offer Ramsey around £45,000 a week base salary, plus a lot of incentives which could see that go way up depending on how he performs.
Editor’s note: NOTHING HAS BEEN OFFERED YET. These are preliminary figures and just a possibility. Fulham are just in initial talks at the moment. That is all we know for now.
Another distinct possibility is that Fulham could take Ramsey on a season-long loan. That’s what Mark Hughes tried to get last year, but he wanted a permanent option at the end of it and Wenger wouldn’t give it to him. We’ll see if Jol tries to take the same route.
Seeing a player drop ranks like this isn’t something that happens every day, so I wouldn’t get all your hopes up as if this is a done deal. However, it makes a good deal of sense from the perspective of both parties, and apparently Ramsey has already had an initial meeting with Martin Jol and Alistair Makintosh, meaning that, if true, there’s a good deal of promise to this deal.
This deserves monitoring, as it’s nothing concrete, but there’s some sense to what is being said here.
If you are a Fulham fan, be wary in the next few weeks. With Danny Murphy’s departure, lazy journos are going to start linking Fulham with every midfielder out there who’s having even the slightest bit of trouble with his club. Be careful what you read when it comes to midfielder links in this transfer market. I only know this one is legitimate because the source is very reliable. Keep your guard up!
