Vincent Tan urged to take Aaron Ramsey action at Cardiff City - could follow Mikel Arteta's path | OneFootball

FLW's Cardiff City fan pundit has had his say on Aaron Ramsey's future

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Aaron Ramsey's much-anticipated homecoming to boyhood club Cardiff City has been blighted by injuries, and the veteran playmaker's future in the game remains up in the air as he edges ever closer to the expiry of his contract at the end of the current campaign.

Bedlam ensued in the Welsh capital when Cardiff pulled off a deal to bring academy product Ramsey back to where it all started in the summer of 2023 following a stint with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice. Ramsey, of course, started his career at Cardiff before joining Arsenal at the tender age of 17 in a £5 million deal after snubbing Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.

The 86-cap Welsh international has enjoyed an illustrious career in the game, though in spite of three FA Cup triumphs, the Coppa Italia and the Serie A title with Juventus, it's one which has been hampered by injuries.

Ramsey's start to life back at the Cardiff City Stadium began in a rich vein last term as he scored three goals in his opening six matches before suffering a knee injury which kept him out of action for much of 2023/24.

Unfortunately, the 34-year-old has struggled to get on the pitch and make an impact this time around, too, with a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty with Wales back in September having kept him out of action until the beginning of February.

But just a month on from his comeback, Ramsey cut a dejected figure when he was withdrawn in Cardiff's 2-1 home defeat to fellow relegation strugglers Luton Town. It soon transpired the ex-Arsenal and Juventus midfielder had suffered yet another hamstring injury, which required surgery and has ended his season prematurely.

Ramsey is out of contract at the end of the season and has voiced his eagerness to extend his stay with the club, though no such action has yet been taken and Cardiff could well be playing in League One next term, making it an awfully uncertain situation at this moment in time.

Concern offered on Aaron Ramsey injury situation at Cardiff City

FLW asked our resident Bluebirds fan pundit, Matt Hall, whether he believes Ramsey's latest injury setback should mark the end of his stay at Cardiff with his contract soon set to expire.

Matt believes it's untenable for Ramsey to continue in a fixed playing role, but has argued the club should be looking to kick-start his coaching career.

The Welsh international captain has already completed his UEFA A coaching licence and has been tipped to coach at a "high level" by current Red Dragons boss and ex-Bluebirds winger Craig Bellamy, whom Ramsey himself one day wishes to emulate.

"Rambo is a very difficult case," Matt told FLW.

"When he first came back from injury, I was very much of the mind that he needed to prove he could stay fit for the entire rest of the season for us to have him stay on.

"He caught us with the games he played, you almost forgot how good he was until he came back. Especially in the home game against Bristol [City], he controlled that game and we see where they are in the table - that midfield doesn't get controlled many times.

"But I think the concern is that they're innocuous injuries. All of his long-term injuries here have been from non-contact, innocuous things and that to me is the telltale sign that a body is about to fail.

"I've only had one major injury and mentally it's absolute agony, so for him to keep going through it all the time, I respect it. I don't think there are any concerns about him moving elsewhere to another club,

Vincent Tan told to move Cardiff City's Aaron Ramsey into player-coach role amid Mikel Arteta claim

According to Matt, Ramsey's wretched injury record means Cardiff should be looking to accomodate his future in coaching by moving him onto the staff in a player-coach role.

Matt shares the general excitement surrounding Ramsey's coaching potential and believes the years he spent under legendary former Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger could poise him for a hugely successful career in the dugout, following on from the success stories of the likes of Cesc Fàbregas and Mikel Arteta since moving into management.

"I think we will sit down at the end of the season, I would [arrange] a player-coach role for him really. If you look at the managerial set-up at the moment, all of the coaches are out of contract including Omer Riza," Matt continued.

"Next season we need a fresh start, go big on the manager but try and get Ramsey onto that coaching staff because, in the future, you could have yourself a really top coach.

The way he talks about the game, the fact he was at Arsenal under Wenger for so many years, there is no doubt to me he will be in the Fabregas class of managers. The Fabregases, the Artetas, that will be him and if we've got someone like that who can be our own, that's only to our benefit.

"For me with a player-coach role, let there be no pressure on him to play games because he'll still be of use off the pitch, so he can have the best of both worlds.

"That's what I would do with him.

"Whether he would want to do that is another question because he's made it clear he wants to play football and play at the World Cup, it's a difficult one and it's on him as well.