Arsenal set to battle rivals Tottenham for 23-year-old Premier League talent: Reports

Arsenal are reportedly set to join Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey. Villa could lose their academy graduate as he is currently attracting the interest of several Premier League clubs, with Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly leading the race.

Jacob Ramsey was on the verge of leaving Aston Villa in the previous transfer window, but the Villans were able to convince him to stay at the club. As per reports, Villa turned down interest from all suitors for Ramsey as they were never willing to cash in on the academy graduate this summer. This is largely because they addressed their profitability and sustainability concerns with the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus in June.

However, according to the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel, Ramsey's contract situation could tempt Aston Villa into considering offers for the midfielder to prevent him from entering the final 12 months of his contract. Ramsey’s contract at the Villa Park will expire in 2027. Parting ways with the 23-year-old as soon as possible will be a good bargain for Villa, as they would generate a significant amount of cash from his sale. His current market value is €32 million, as per Transfermarkt.

If the above decision holds true, it will come as music to the ears of potential suitors like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The abovementioned source also claimed that Ramsey is still on the radar of several clubs who are poised to reignite their interest in the player in 2025.

However, Villa could also benefit financially from the current situation surrounding their academy graduate, as the presence of different suitors could enable them to ignite a bidding war.

Spurs' interest was stronger last summer, as they were at the time discussing a swap deal with Aston Villa involving Jacob Ramsey and Giovani Lo Celso.

Ramsey has featured in all of Aston Villa's matches this season except the fixture Manchester United on Sunday (October 6). He missed out against the Red Devils as he came off injured against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Since getting promotion to the senior team, Ramsey has scored 14 goals and provided 13 assists for Aston Villa across competitions.

Arsenal legend backs former Tottenham striker after media criticism

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown launched a staunch defense of Harry Kane’s footballing abilities after the latter was slammed by German outlet BILD. After Bayern Munich’s 1-0 loss against Aston Villa, Kane’s performance came under fire, as BILD wrote:

“The England star was hardly seen and missed a great header chance to equalise shortly before the end.When he returned home [to England], the captain of the English national team remained invisible. Just as he did against Leverkusen. [He] only managed his only shot on goal seconds before the final whistle.”

However, Martin Keown wasn’t happy with BILD’s review of the player. The Arsenal legend said (via talkSPORT):

“I think it’s a different matter. He wasn’t at his best and maybe in reflection Gareth Southgate could’ve taken him off sooner. Maybe not start him in the last game when Ollie Watkins had already shown he was a worthy starter and for some reason Harry couldn’t find the form in that tournament. His performances for Bayern Munich have been top draw.”