Arsenal must find a new Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal Must find a replacement for Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey to shake up a stale midfield.

Arsenal should appreciate every single second of Aaron Ramsey’s dwindling time remaining at the club, because the Gunners are sure going to miss the midfielder when he’s gone.

Sunday’s 1-0 defeat away to Everton not only dented Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for next season’s Champions League. It also underlined how Ramsey is essential to the Gunners’ chances of winning.

The man set to join Serie A giants Juventus on a free transfer this summer possesses attributes rare in an otherwise stale midfield. Qualities like the ability to break from deep and make runs beyond the front to overwhelm defenses.

Those qualities were sorely missed against the Toffees. Ramsey spent the first half on the bench, a precaution after he suffered a calf problem during a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

With regular midfield partner Granit Xhaka also nursing an injury, head coach Unai Emery had to reshuffle the pack. He couldn’t call on the suspended Lucas Torreira, so Matteo Guendouzi and little-used Mohamed Elneny came into the starting XI.

Emery has to make improving the strength in depth of the engine room a priority in the transfer window this summer, given how much the replacements struggled.

Neither Guendouzi nor Elneny moved the ball quickly enough. They took too long to spot runners in space and get Arsenal moving forward.

With no inspiration from the middle, it was hardly a surprise the Gunners drew a blank.

Not being able to carry the play from midfield also meant Arsenal failed to get chief creator Mesut Ozil involved enough. The mercurial playmaker is a luxury item who needs to receive multiple passes in the soft spots between the midfield and forward lines.

Ozil is never as effective when he’s forced to drop deep and forage for possession.

What Ozil needed was swifter distribution from defense through midfield.

It’s usually provided by either Xhaka’s longer passes guided with a wand of a left foot. If not, then Ramey’s ability to carry the ball or take markers away from Ozil with a forward run of his own, suffice.

Elneny doesn’t have Xhaka’s radar and range. Instead, he’s more cautious with the ball than his former Basel teammate.

Actually, Elneny disproves the saying “you can’t be too careful.” He’s not only too careful, the Egypt international is negative with his choice of passes.

While Elneny binges on square and backwards passes, Guendouzi does have the technique to release players in behind. The precocious Frenchman’s problem is he takes too many touches and too long to look before releasing his passes.

Those are bad habits the 19-year-old is young and brash enough to eventually shed. For now though, Guendouzi seems ignorant about how the pace of play in the Premier League demands quick decisions.

A lethargic and overly cautious midfield pair left Arsenal lacking imagination and impetus in attacking areas at Goodison Park.

While there were rocky moments defensively, the Gunners’ inability to up the tempo and create handed the initiative to a highly intense Everton team.

It took the introduction of Ramsey for Elneny at halftime to coax some improvement. The difference Ramsey made soon became obvious.

His typically well-time breaks from the middle caught the hosts cold as the Toffees focused on Ozil and strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Ramsey moving the ball quicker, in pass-and-go movements, also helped Arsenal bypass a committed Everton press. The attention Ramsey’s runs received also created more space for Guendouzi to try and conduct things from deep.

While Ramsey ultimately couldn’t drive the Gunners to a comeback, he had proved his worth. The Welshman is invaluable as the only truly forward-thinking central midfield in Emery’s squad.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Arsenal have struggled when leaving Ramsey out. January’s 1-0 defeat away to West Ham is arguably the joint-worst performance of the brief Emery era.

It’s in a tie with the drab showing on the blue half of Merseyside. Both games have one thing in common: Ramsey started them on the bench.

The negative effects of Ramsey’s absence only compound the idiotic decision not to agree a new contract with the three-time FA Cup winner.

Ozil’s club-high wages are often cited as the reason why Arsenal withdrew a deal for Ramsey. But it’s an excuse that doesn’t wash.

Perhaps Arsenal spending £70 million on a host of disappointing recruits last summer didn’t help. Guendouzi and Torreira have hit the wall after fast starts, while goalkeeper Bernd Leno is hardly a significant upgrade over incumbent Petr Cech.

As for the others, center-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos has had his moments, but the 30-year-old hasn’t been the talisman at the back Arsenal still desperately need.

Meanwhile, the free-transfer contract handed to Stephan Lichtsteiner, along with the winter loan of Denis Suarez from Barcelona, are less frivolous moves and more negligible recruitment.

Perhaps if the Gunners had saved the money they could have afforded a contract good enough to keep Ramsey in town.

Replacing him now becomes a pressing need Emery can’t ignore. It’s likely to be an expensive process, with mooted target Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella valued at £43 million.

Emery will need to balance retooling a still-suspect defense with the necessity of replacing the only player who adds juice to the engine room.