Oxford United are believed to be admirers of Aaron Ramsey as they begin their search for a new manager.
The U’s parted ways with Matt Bloomfield over the weekend, bringing to an end a six-month tenure at the Kassam Stadium for the former Luton Town head, which ended in relegation.
Arsenal Star Could Make Jump
According to the Oxford Mail, Aaron Ramsey could be the man to lead the Yellows into League One following their relegation, with the former Arsenal man now on the sidelines following his retirement.
The former Wales captain hung up his boots back in April after a stint in Mexico, and is now being eyed up by United, who have already held talks with the 35-year-old.
Ramsey has had limited senior managerial experience with his interim tenure in charge of Cardiff City during the final matches of the 2024/25 season after Omer Riza’s departure, and was unable to stop the Bluebirds’ relegation to the third tier.
He has previously spoken to BBC Sport Wales about his desire to enter the managerial space, stating that former teammate Mikel Arteta was an inspiration to him.
“It is inspiring because Mikel was here [studying] around 10 years ago, in the same position starting his journey.
“I want to win all the big things in the game. That’s the goal, that’s the target – to get as good as I can to make that a reality.
“I feel ready, but that all depends on the opportunity, doesn’t it? So what that will look like will be different from different clubs, different age groups and all of that.
“For me, I feel ready to coach, to manage, to be inspiring to a group of players, and we’ll see what comes up.”
Oxford Follow Well-Trodden Path
A recent trend has begun to emerge with some EFL clubs over the past year or so, taking risks on recently-retired players to try and galvanise a side which has been down in the dumps.
Watford did so with Tom Cleverley, who is now thriving at Plymouth Argyle, while Luton Town have now turned a corner with Jack Wilshere after a rocky few months.
And it is one of the latter’s teammates at Arsenal who could now be the next to do so, with Oxford United keen on bringing in Aaron Ramsey to replace Matt Bloomfield.
The U’s were perhaps right to pull the trigger now and hand their next boss a full summer to implement their ideas, as they know all too well with their recent managerial merry-go-round, which has seen Gary Rowett and Des Buckingham walk mid-season.
It is certainly a gamble to take a risk on Ramsey, who has a very limited resume in coaching, but as seen with his teammate and others, there is a high upside which could be the catalyst to put Oxford back into the Championship.
