Aaron Ramsey: Arsenal manager Unai Emery tells Wales midfielder to focus on football

Unai Emery watches Aaron Ramsey in training
Unai Emery watches Aaron Ramsey in training - the Welshman's contract runs out next summer

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has told Aaron Ramsey to focus on his football amid ongoing contract talks with the club.

Ramsey's deal ends next summer but Emery has challenged the midfielder to show his "capacity to help the team".

"I only need his focus on training, the matches and on his performance each day," said Emery.

The Welshman, 27, was left out of the starting XI against Chelsea, but could return to face West Ham on Saturday.

Asked whether he felt Ramsey lacked focus, Emery replied: "I don't know, but I am thinking in the present.

"I spoke with him last week but now, today, my focus is on the match and I want the player to be focused only on Saturday."

The Gunners have seen on-pitch matters overshadowed by drawn-out contract negotiations before, with the futures of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Jack Wilshere having proved a headache to former manager Arsene Wenger.

Sanchez and Wilshere have since moved elsewhere, while 29-year-old German midfielder Mesut Ozil - who announced his retirement from international football after this summer's World Cup - became the highest-paid player in the club's history when he signed fresh terms in January.

BBC Sport understands the north London club have offered Wales international Ramsey a new contract, but reports suggest he is seeking a significant increase in wages on his current deal.

Ramsey joined the Gunners in 2008 in a £4.8m move from hometown club Cardiff City, and the midfielder has scored 36 goals in 234 Premier League appearances.

Former Arsenal defender and BBC pundit Martin Keown has said Arsenal should be "desperate" to keep hold of Ramsey, who has won three FA Cups with the club, scoring two match-winning goals at Wembley.

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