The former Gunners star believes a midfielder heading towards free agency offers more to the cause than a playmaker tied to a lucrative deal last term
Arsenal would have been better served selling Mesut Ozil and using the money saved on his contract to keep Aaron Ramsey, says Ray Parlour.
The Gunners were forced to dig deep last season in order to keep a World Cup winner on their books, with a lucrative extension agreed in February.
While they were able to get those talks over the line and prevent a key man from dropping into the free agent pool, it appears as though Ramsey will be slipping the net.
The Wales international has seen an offer of fresh terms taken off the table and, despite continuing to impress, is set to move on at the end of the season.
Former Gunners star Parlour believes Arsenal have got their priorities wrong, telling talkSPORT: “My personal decision would be that I’d rather keep Ramsey than Ozil.
“I think Aaron brings a little bit to the team.
“Mesut Ozil is a great player, I’m not doubting that, but you can leave him out. We didn’t miss him [against Tottenham], whereas I thought Ramsey made an impact in the second half.
“Aaron has been there a long time, he’s been there for 10 years, so you’ve got to look that as well.
“Some players would sulk and say, ‘I’m leaving at the end of the season, so it doesn’t really matter’, but his attitude has been spot on.
“He knows he’s leaving at the end of the season, but he was brilliant in midweek in the Europa League.
“I would rather have Aaron Ramsey.”
Ramsey stepped off the bench to provide two assists during Arsenal’s 4-2 derby win over Tottenham on Sunday.
Those efforts saw him set a new Premier League record, with an important contribution being made amid the uncertainty surrounding his future.
Ozil, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen at Emirates Stadium, with an untimely back problem keeping him out of Unai Emery’s plans.