Aaron Ramsey has spoken out about the’mad’ voicemails left by Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson after finding himself at the center of a transfer tug of war just before deciding to join Arsenal.
Ramsey was one of the most highly rated prospects in British football after coming through the ranks at boyhood club Cardiff City, attracting interest from some of the biggest names in the game. Manchester United and Arsenal were both keen on landing the then 17-year-old, with the legendary bosses of both teams making personal bids to persuade the Welshman to join.
Ramsey would finally choose Arsenal, but United was definitely an option he examined, not least because of a family connection. “I was always a Cardiff supporter, but my dad was a Manchester United fan and I watched them quite a lot with him,” Ramsey explained to FourFourTwo.
“It was a strange time in my life, to have two teams I’d watched so much as a child showing interest in me. I spoke to both managers on the phone a few times. I was 17 years old and I was getting voicemails from Fergie and Arsene Wenger! It was mad.”
The saga would rumble on for much of the 2008 summer window, and Man United grew increasingly confident of winning the race. They even announced a fee had been agreed with Cardiff, with midfielder set to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.
However, Ramsey would eventually go on to sign for Arsenal, where he’d make 369 appearances for the club over an 11-year stint before eventually moving to Juventus in 2019.
“Arsenal felt like the right decision for me. I remember showing up to training on my first day and seeing Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas… I had to pinch myself. I was like, ‘What on Earth am I doing here?’ It was an exciting time for me.”
Ramsey, who has returned to Cardiff, is poised to miss a significant period of time due to a knee injury, which will keep him out of the next Wales camp. Rob Page’s men face Gibraltor in Wrexham on Wednesday before hosting Croatia in a Euro 2024 qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium.
