Waching daily Sep 29 2018

 The Gunners' preparations to face Watford have been interrupted by the news that Ramsey is likely to leave the club either in January or at the end of the season

 Arsenal have withdrawn their offer of a new four-year contract to the Wales international, meaning Ramsey will either be sold in the coming winter transfer window or leave on a free transfer next summer

 It is thought that the two parties had come to an agreement, only for the club to rescind their offer this week for unexplained reasons

 Ramsey - Arsenal's longest-serving player - was long expected to sign a new deal with the north London outfit having been made one of Emery's five vice captains

 The 27-year-old has not worn the armband in a competitive fixture under the Spaniard but was the captain for much of their pre-season campaign and has played in all six of their Premier League games, starting the last five

 And though his days at the Emirates Stadium are seemingly numbered, Emery has suggested he will continue to pick Ramsey and that he does not expect his levels to drop despite the contract ordeal

 Asked whether off-the-pitch matters would affect his displays, the Arsenal manager responded: "I think not

  "I want to have also the best preparation for him, for his mentality and his quality, to give us our best performance to help us to win

   "We want the control for the three elements - for the club, for the player and for me

For that, my control is tomorrow [with the game against Watford]. "I want to give them the most stability to show us that can be the focused on the performance only and to show us with each match

 "This situation, in the pre-season and now, is the same. I want and we want his best performance

In the football years, I knew and I am going to know the same situation. "The football career for the players is very short

They are professionals for 10, 12 or 15 years, but not more, and they need to take the best performance and also work very hard in these years for his future and his family's future

 "I am sure the best for us and the best for him is to take this opportunity to do the best performance each match, to show everyone their best quality

" Ramsey's decade-long Arsenal career looks almost certain to end with wage issues believed to be the primary sticking point, particularly following the £350,000-a-week new contract handed to Mesut Ozil in February

 And former Premier League striker Peter Crouch, currently in the Championship with Stoke, cannot understand the north London club's willingness to let go of such a key player

 He wrote in his Daily Mail column: "I like Unai Emery and want to see him do well - I wrote earlier this season that he deserves time to get things right and needs to be shown respect as he adjusts to the demands of managing in the Premier League

 "The task of getting back into the top four is not going to be easy. He has got world-class players at his disposal - you saw that last Sunday when, after a tough first 45 minutes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette put Everton away in the second half - but there have been plenty of examples in games that have shown it will be a slow process

 "The chances of getting there more quickly will be boosted by having someone like Ramsey on hand

  "He scores goals, he's a great athlete and works hard: the bidding for midfielders who do those things starts at £30million but, as it stands, the majority of Europe's top clubs will have spotted a bargain

 "If Ramsey has an excellent season, he is going to be spoilt for choice. Arsenal, however, will lose a big transfer fee and a key member of their squad

It doesn't make sense. Sometimes in football, it never does."