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Aaron Ramsey took a relative gamble with his career when, while at his peak, he left Arsenal – where he had become increasingly influential and central to their plans – for Juventus, where competition for selection in midfield is perhaps more competitive than anywhere else in Europe. Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi, Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentacur often compete for three positions; the talented Emre Can had become so peripheral that he left on loan for Borussia Dortmund before joining the Bundesliga contenders on a permanent basis. For their part, Juve were making one of the finest signings of 2019’s summer transfer window.
“I was in a position where I was at a club for a very long time and I fancied a change to get out of my comfort zone to learn a new language, hopefully very slowly,” the Wales international, also the highest scoring central midfielder in Arsenal’s history, said. “When you come here you get the feeling of how important it is to win.”