The contract situation doesn't change the fact that Emery started and ended last season with Ramsey in the team, injuries permitting. It also doesn't change that Emery mentioned him as well as Aubameyang as his key players when he first joined, which sends a message to the board.
Ramsey as a player was perfect for Emery, and Emery knew it. It was just the wrong time. That it didn't work out is probably more on Ramsey than on anyone else.
@[deleted], but your characterization isn't correct. The system doesn't "just serve one player." Guendouzi, Aubameyang, Saka, Leno, and Chambers all look good in this team. It's just such a brazen manipulation of statistics. You could just as easily say that Auba has his highest conversion rates ever because we are making high quality chances for him, even if there aren't a lot of them. You could say, from that line of thinking, that this is the best way Aubameyang has ever been used.
To clarify, I'm not saying that, and I don't think that. Not entirely anyway. I just don't think our problems are because of system or formation, I think that Xhaka is a problem for who he is as a player, not because of the role he's tasked with on the pitch. I also think we're not getting the best out of some players for reasons other than the system, as well. I also think that it is the manager's job to solve it either way.
