Aaron Ramsey out, This AS Roma attacker in: A perfect January move for the Gunners?

Arsenal should not hesitate to swap Aaron Ramsey for Patrik Schick

According to the Sun, Arsenal are interested in swapping Aaron Ramsey to secure the services of Roma’s 22-year-old striker Patrik Schick.

Ramsey has less than a year remaining on his current contract which is set to expire next summer and it looks unlikely that the Gunners are going to extend his stay at the Emirates after having withdrawn a new deal.

Patrik Schick, 22, has been making a name for himself in the Serie A as one of the brightest young prospects in Italian football. The Czech Republic international scored a couple of goals from 10 starts in the Serie A last season for Roma and has registered only a solitary goal so far this season but those numbers do not actually do justice to his talent as a centre-forward.

Schick enjoyed a fruitful 2016-17 season in the Serie A with Sampdoria where he scored 11 goals and picked up 3 assists. His prolific form in front of goal was enough to earn him a move to the Italian capital.

Going by the dynamic nature of modern football, Schick’s style of play does not look attractive to the naked eye. He does not have the insane jaw-dropping pace or mesmerizing dribbling skills to catch the eye of the spectators. However, few can argue that he is effective as a centre-forward and has all the qualities to become a future star.

In fact, the 22-year-old has excelled at the international stage as well, earning 12 caps for the Czech Republic since his debut in 2016 and has scored a couple of goals in the UEFA Nations League.

One of the most technically-gifted strikers in the Serie A, Schick has a deadly eye for goal from inside as well as outside the penalty box. He combines his decent pace with his quick feet to weave his way around defenders in tight spaces in the final third. The 22-year-old likes to shrug off the defenders by using his physicality and is adept at holding on to the ball to create chances.

However, the most impressive things about him are his tactical awareness, mobility and ability to combine effectively with his teammates in the final third.

As evident from his displays in the UEFA Nations League, he does not hesitate to swap positions and drifts wide to draw the defenders out from their positions and uses his vision and awareness to utilise those half-spaces in the final third. Furthermore, he is also good in the air, making him a perfect fit for the Premier League.

To put things into perspective Arsenal face the risk of losing Ramsey for nothing next summer and swapping him for someone like Schick would be a good option.

Danny Welbeck, who has been used by Unai Emery as an understudy to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury. Moreover, Welbeck is also expected to head for the exit door upon the expiry of his contract next summer.

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Hence, Arsenal need a backup striker to maintain adequate depth in their squad and Patrik Schick is definitely a good option to have in the ranks. The Czech international is not quite the finished product just yet but he has all the makings of a prolific striker in the days to come.