Is Aaron Ramsey worth £400,000 per week?

Aaron Ramsey signing a £400,000 a week deal with Juventus back in February certainly shocked plenty of people at the time, and there is still some discussion over whether he is worth that much. The fact that he opted to move abroad like his compatriot Gareth Bale did six years earlier was also a shock, however, he is now joining an exciting project with the realistic aim of winning the Champions League. But did the Old Lady spend too much?

That's not to try and imply that Aaron Ramsey’s talent is in doubt; after all, this is a player who has scored 65 goals in 371 games for Arsenal, which include two winners in the FA Cup finals of 2014 and 2017. The Welshman is the epitome of a box-to-box midfielder, who doesn't shy away from his defensive duties but is also able to get the team going forward and is often even the one to finish the move off with a cool finish.

The Emirates has borne witness to these glorious moves time and time again thanks to Ramsey. They are a work of art that begins from deep within Arsenal’s half and end up flowing effortlessly into the box of the opposition before someone is on hand to effortlessly dink the ball past a hapless keeper. Despite being the architect of the move, Ramsey is sometimes the last to get to the celebration huddle at the corner flag – but that is only because he is unassuming and happy for others to revel in the limelight.

Arsenal have brought in a short-term replacement in Dani Ceballos, on loan from Real Madrid, and he has the all-round skillset to replace the Welshman, but those are big boots to fill. His time at Real has stunted his development due to the depth they have in that position, so consistent playing time could see him thrive and become the dominant player he has the potential to be.

However, even with his addition, Arsenal are only sixth favourites with online bookmaker Mr Green, who offer odds of 6/4 to finish in the Premier League top four outright market - which is just one of the leagues they offer outright markets on - while Manchester United are evens, and Chelsea are 11/10 with the rest of the 'Big Six' at considerably lower odds. This is just one market Mr Green offer as they have a variety that includes outrights to handicaps to live in-play markets.

Of all the people that were blindsided most by the news, the Arsenal board will have been the most shellshocked. The 28-year-old was given short shrift by the powers that be at Arsenal after he declared how much he wanted to be paid which is in stark contrast to the Italian champions, who didn’t bat an eyelid at Ramsey’s wage request. They couldn't hand the pen over to him fast enough which is why many people will be asking, was Ramsey underrated in England?

Football never fails to surprise and Ramsey’s shock transfer to Italy will be remembered for a long time to come as he rides off into the sunset to pick up £76 million worth of wages over the next four years. This is an exciting time for Juventus fans as they have invested smartly in the window and could finally end that long wait for another Champions League trophy.