5 potential replacements for Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal

#3 Frenkie De Jong (Ajax Amsterdam)

De Jong's regista skills could add balance to Arsenal

De Jong’s rapid rise has been the stuff that dreams are made of. The 21-year-old has in a very short time become integral for Ajax and may excel just as well for the Gunners. Operating as a regista (deep-lying playmaker), he is the Dutch side’s dictator; the controller who decides the tempo the team plays at.

A very intelligent player in the manner of Dutch greats like Clarence Seedorf, Ronald Koeman et al, he is adept at carrying the ball forward to beat the pressing of the opposition. For a youngster, his decision making is also quite good. He has shown enough awareness to know when to pass conservatively to slow down the game’s tempo or when to pass forward to start attacks/counter attacks.

Despite his rather diminutive stature; 1.80m, he is very good at dropping into the centre of the defence to make it a flat back three whenever the fullbacks push on. Combined with his excellent range of passing, this makes him a veritable asset who would add great value to Arsenal.

Given Granit Xhaka’s tendency to go walkabout as well as the fullback’s propensity to bomb forward, Emery would love a player like De Jong. He could offer the same assurances the Spanish manager had with Marco Veratti at PSG or Ever Banega at Sevilla.

A rather pricey €50million has been quoted for the youngster who is being tracked by the likes of FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur.