In just three days, Aston Villa will begin its Premier League campaign at home against Newcastle United, and the two clubs are engaging in a bit of transfer business in the buildup to that match.
According to football insider Fabrizio Romano, Villa is keen to sell Jacob Ramsey to the Magpies for a fee of £40 million just days before its season-opening match. Now, Ramsey has proven a wanted commodity all summer with offers coming from multiple clubs, and it looks as if the 24-year-old English midfielder will don a new kit for the first time in nearly 20 years (save a short COVID-induced loan spell to Doncaster).
As a member of Aston Villa’s system since he was six years old, Ramsey has proven to be an effective winger and midfielder when called upon for the Claret and Blue. Last season, Ramsey featured in 45 matches for Villa spread across four competitions and totalled nine goal contributions (four goals and five assists) in that timespan. However, Ramsey offers a dose of stability, primarily along the left side, that is difficult to quantify. Specifically, Villa manager Unai Emery demands a high workrate with pressing ability from his forwards, and Ramsey’s upfield ball-carrying ability helped solidify his position in Emery’s first team over the past three seasons.
“Jacob Ramsey is a very important player,” Emery told the Daily Mail during 2024. “He grew up here in the academy. His progression is clear and getting better. I want to keep him here with us. Teams may be involved in the possibility to sign him because he is a potentially big, big player in Aston Villa and England. I want to keep him here 100 percent”
In some ways, Ramsey’s departure from B6 has been telegraphed for most of the summer. Apart from Newcastle, other Premier League clubs such as West Ham made overtures for the 24-year old, but Romano suggests that Ramsey is only interested in joining Newcastle, likely due to the club’s Champions League obligations this season.
Presumably, Villa will look to find a Ramsey-replacement on the transfer market before its conclusion on Sept. 1. The club recently welcomed the addition of attacking midfielder Evann Guessand from OGC Nice within the last week, so both Monchi and Emery are remaining active in the waning weeks of the transfer window.
However, even without the clear pretext of Aston Villa’s season opener against Newcastle United just three days away, selling midfielder Jacob Ramsey to the Magpies could be a misstep on several fronts. While it is true that £40 million is no paltry sum, Ramsey has personified what it means to be a hard-working Villan during his growth and development in Birmingham. Along those same lines, Villa must register a minimum of eight locally-trained or homegrown players in its squad to comply with the Europe League squad restrictions. Now, Ramsey certainly falls within those guidelines, and Villa could find itself in a bind due to that squad rule down the road.
Positive outlook for Aston Villa
On the other hand, since Ramsey is a homegrown player, Villa will benefit immensely since the entirety of Ramsey’s £40 million price tag will be considered pure profit. From that standpoint, Villa made a wise choice to unload Ramsey at quite possibly his peak value.
Both Emery and Monchi have shown a knack for making shrewd, difficult decisions throughout their tenure at Villa, and parting with Ramsey would fall in line with that description. Ramsey has long served Aston Villa as a hard-working, team-first player, and it will look wholly unnatural to see the Birmingham boy in another Premier League club’s colors.