Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey completes move from Cardiff to Arsenal

Arsenal is delighted to announce that Wales Under-21 international Aaron Ramsey has today signed for the Gunners from Championship side Cardiff City on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.

Although still only 17, Aaron has already represented his country at Under-21 level and became the youngest player ever to represent Wales at this level in August 2007, in a 4-3 victory over Sweden Under-21s. He was also recently called up to the full Welsh squad for their friendly international matches in Iceland and Holland, but was an unused substitute on both occasions.

Young midfielder Ramsey progressed through the youth ranks at Cardiff City and also became the youngest ever player to represent the Bluebirds, coming on as a substitute in the League match against Hull City on April 28, 2007, at just 16 years 124 days, breaking the previous record set by John Toshack.

Since making his debut for Cardiff City in the 2006/07 season, Ramsey went on to make a total of 22 appearances for the Welsh side, including a substitute appearance in last season’s FA Cup Final against Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium.

Ramsey, born in Caerphilly on Boxing Day 1990, has already had a good experience of Emirates Stadium. Aaron actually scored Cardiff City’s first goal in the FA Youth Cup Quarter-Final in 2007, in a match which was watched by 11,610 supporters, with Arsenal eventually coming out 3-2 winners.

Manager Arsène Wenger said: “We’re delighted to have signed Aaron Ramsey. He is a young player who has shown huge potential with his performances for both Cardiff City and Wales at under-17 and Under-21 levels. He is still only 17, but has already shown that he is a very intelligent and mature player with great quality. Although he mainly plays in midfield, Aaron is a versatile player and can also play across the defence. We are all looking forward to welcoming Aaron to the Club for our pre-season preparations.”

Aaron Ramsey said: “I’m so happy to have signed for Arsenal. I am joining one of the biggest clubs in the world and can’t wait to meet my new team mates. I recently met with Arsène Wenger and he was a big factor in my decision to join Arsenal. He talked to me for a long time about the Club and the plans for the future, which really excites me. Arsenal is a Club which always gives young players an opportunity at the highest level of the game and I am going to work my hardest to be part of future successes here.

“It was a really difficult decision to leave Cardiff City, they are my local club with great supporters and I would just like thank everyone at Cardiff City for their support and help in my early career. I will still look out for their results and there will always be a place in my heart for the Bluebirds.”

Aaron will join up with his new team mates at Arsenal for pre-season training in early July.







:thumbsup:

Good Article Featuring Steve Claridge

If there is one man knows what it takes to succeed in English football, then its 1000 game veteran Steve Claridge. The 42 year old, who has played for more clubs than anybody else during his playing days, believes new Arsenal signing Aaron Ramsey has all the qualities to be a massive success during his career.

Claridge heaped praise on the 17 year old starlet, even saying he would ‘drive the length of Britain’ just to watch the Gunners new boy in action. He also went on to confirm all the hype around him is fully justified, and Rambo has all the maturity and intelligence to deal with such expectations.

“There are few teenage players in the country who come as highly rated as Aaron. Sometimes young lads with big reputations don’t come up to scratch. With Ramsey, though, that is emphatically not the case.”

“He refused to stand and admire anything he had done and, instead, was constantly alive to the next phase or the next option.”

One of the key components any Arsenal midfielder must possess, is a diverse and clinical passing range. Claridge goes on to say the quality is not vary between his 5 yard passes, to his 65 yard ones.

“His retention of the ball is good and we are not talking about a player who merely chose the easy option. He was equally adept at simple five-yard passes and marvellously weighted 60-yard diagonals in behind the centre-backs.”

“He works opponents with the ball, creating little angles with his left or right foot and his quality simply shines through.”

“He has a sixth sense telling him where opponents are. This was reflected in his first touch and placement of his body. Even when opponents doubled up on him he managed to escape unscathed from tight angles.”

You may think that with such a young and relatively inexperienced player in the team, other members of the squad would think twice before giving him the ball. But this is not the case, as he commands a pass, and uses it in an intelligent and effective nature.

“Ramsey’s team-mates were happy to pass the ball up to him, even when he was marked, because they knew that they were giving it to a better player, He had no problems defensively. He chased and was not afraid to put his foot or his head in where it hurt.”

So, one final word on the prospect Steve?

“Ramsey has a big future.”