Italian football journalist James Horncastle has spoken about the difficulties that would potentially arise if West Ham United were to chase after Aaron Ramsey.
A recent report from CalcioMercato has claimed that the 30-year-old Welshman, valued at £18m on Transfermarkt, could be about to return to the Premier League after just two seasons with Juventus, with West Ham one of his preferred destinations. This follows on from reports back in December that claimed boss Andrea Pirlo was looking to let go of him this upcoming summer.
But speaking on the latest edition of Ask Ornstein, Horncastle dived deep into the situation surrounding Ramsey’s wages, and why it could pose a problem both for teams interested in buying him, as well as Juventus.
He said: “That wage bill that they have, and his wage, is something that I think will always lead them to consider the options that come to them for him. But the problem is, can someone match that wage or get close to it, even in the Premier League? And I think that’s one of the issues that Juventus have had in recent years.”
Would Ramsey be a good fit for West Ham?
Yes
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TIF Thoughts on James Horncastle’s comments about Aaron Ramsey’s wages at Juventus…
Horncastle is right to bring up the wage disparity when it comes to making a move for someone like Ramsey.
He is reportedly on as much as £400,000 per week with the Italian side, and if you compare that to the reported wages of West Ham United players, their current highest-paid player is Andriy Yarmolenko on £115,000 per week (as per Spotrac), which is a huge gap, to say the least. Therefore, either West Ham would have to break their wage structure, or Ramsey would have to commit to a massive slash in his wages to make it happen.
Whilst West Ham could earn some extra money this season with their high Premier League finish and potential journey into Europe, is there going to be enough wriggle-room there for both sides to potentially come to an agreement? That remains to be seen but the early signs don’t appear to be too promising.