Aaron Ramsey: What do Juventus see in him?

With the winter transfer window coming to an end there is a lot of speculation surrounding Aaron Ramseys future. Is he going to stay at Arsenal till the end of the season or they are going to reach an agreement with Juventus? Or are PSG going to join the battle for his signature?

A lot of questions have been raised about whether any of these team need him in their squad or whether he is about to be the next bench player getting playing time only in cup games. There are debates over whether he is good enough to become part of the European giants, and whether he is worth it.

Juventus look like a perfectly balanced team in no need of a new addition to the squad. On the other hand, PSG are full of huge stars and are totally dominant in Ligue 1.
Why would these clubs want Ramsey, and how he could help improve their performance?

What are the facts?

The Welshman never had the chance to prove his qualities due to big injury blows that affected his whole career on a few occasions. But he has always been known as a huge talent. The talent is still there, but he is already a grown 28-year-old man. He shouldve been playing to his potential by now, but that hasnt quite happened yet. He wasnt always first choice under Arsene Wenger, and neither is he under Unai Emery.

Being described as a box-to-box midfielder, he now has scored 61 goals and assisted 64 in 355 appearances for Arsenal. His most valued qualities are his late runs into the box and his creativity. His ball control and key involvements are the reason for him to receive interest from so many clubs. He is a threat when his team counter-attacks, and no matter his position he loves to cut inside.

Why do Juventus want him?

Ramsey is pretty adaptable and could quickly fit into a lot of formations. He reaches his potential either as a number 10 (for Wales) or as a box-to-box midfielder (for Arsenal).

As it is known Massimiliano Allegri started his Juventus career using a 3-5-2 set-up, switching through different formations such as the 4-2-3-1. With the arrival of former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo, he has largely opted for a 4-3-3. His team have been doing perfectly fine with all of them. It looks like the Welshman could be used in a number 10 role if Allegri decides to switch to 4-2-3-1, which would be more suitable for Ramsey.

This season the Old Ladys manager has reached the perfect squad balance. He not only has a strongly connected starting XI, but he could also rotate players and be every bit as successful. That means that Ramsey has to find his own place in this squad and overtake one of these successful players. Having to compete with players like Pjanic, Matuidi, Costa, Cuadrado, Bentancur and others for a starting spot doesnt offer him many chances, especially with the 4-3-3 scheme.

Lets break down the possibilities for the Arsenal player. When it comes to pass completion he looks like a reasonable replacement of Sami Khedira. Allegri has dropped the German lately and it seems like this might be his last season in Turin. Before he eventually leaves however, Juventus need to make sure that he has a proper replacement. Thats where Ramsey could be of use, especially when it comes to passing abilities.

When it comes to pass completion Ramsey makes almost twice as much as Khedira. He has also created more chances (19) than Khedira, who has failed to create any. These created chances have resulted in six assists for the Welshman.

This makes him the perfect addition at Juventus, as the team controls the game in the oppositions half and keeps high percentages of possession through playing short passes in the central area. As you could see in the picture above 47% of the teams action zones are in the midfield. Ramseys average pass accuracy percentage (86.2%) is going to be of help to Pjanic who averages 87.9% successful passes from 56.62 per game, compared to Khediras 47.01 passes.