Arsenal continue chase for top four at home to Brighton on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League; coverage starts at 4:15pm, kick-off at 4:30pm
Thursday 2 May 2019 17:40, UK
Former Arsenal winger Robert Pires admits he is "disappointed" Aaron Ramsey is leaving the Gunners, but says he deserves the opportunity to move to Juventus.
The Welsh midfielder will join the Italian champions on a free transfer in July upon the expiration of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.
It was confirmed this week that he will not play for Arsenal again having suffered a season-ending hamstring injury against Napoli last month.
Ramsey is bringing to an end an 11-year spell in north London, and Pires told Sky Sports News: "I am disappointed. I know Aaron, he's a great player. He's doing very well, he's scored a lot of goals. He is very important in the squad, especially in the dressing room.
"But unfortunately this is football, so we need to respect Aaron's decision. For him it's a new challenge, a new life.
"I'm very happy for Aaron, he deserves this great opportunity. Serie A is a good league and Juve is one of the best teams in Europe. He will play with one of the greatest players, Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm disappointed but this is life."
Pires, who won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his six years with Arsenal, also offered his support for Mesut Ozil.
The 30-year-old has attracted criticism this season having registered just three assists and six goals in 31 games in all competitions this season.
However, Ozil told Sky Sports News this week he wants to stay at Arsenal, and Pires said: "You can compare Mesut Ozil to Dennis Bergkamp, because they play just behind the striker.
"Mesut Ozil is a great player, but maybe he needs more confidence. For me he is a maestro; he's a magician with the ball.
"For him it's not easy because he needs to improve every game. I know, a little bit, Mesut, and especially when they lose the game, he is very disappointed."
