By Gareth James
Aaron Ramsey insists joining Cardiff City will offer him a quick route back into the Premier League.
The Wales captain, who completed his emotional return to the Bluebirds over the weekend, has not played for a club in the domestic top flight since he left Arsenal four years ago.
But he believes the move back home will not only help him fulfill his family priorities, but also offer him a springboard back to the competition he left in 2019 when he move from the Gunners to Juventus.
“It feels unbelievable to finally be back here,” said Ramsey.
“I always thought one day I’d come back, and now it’s the perfect time to do that. To be back with my family and around familiar faces is just brilliant, so I’m delighted to be back here now.
“I’ve missed that a lot in the last year or so, so it was important for me to be back around them. Obviously I’m a Cardiff City fan, and watching them over the years since I’ve been away, we’ve had some low points but some big highs as well, being in the Premier League and representing Cardiff on the big stage.
“That’s a target of mine – to try and help my teammates and this club to get back to the top. I’ve said it many times in the past – I owe so much to Cardiff, to the fans, to everybody who has been at the club when I was here as a young boy coming through.
“For me now to come full circle, to be part of this team now, and hopefully achieve the goals we want, there’s no better feeling than that.”
Wales captain @aaronramsey says his return to Cardiff City is “not a token gesture” and he’s looking forward to working with “young players coming through” ⚽#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ogJ0xdkZX0
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) July 16, 2023
Ramsey came through the ranks at Cardiff before spending 11 years at Arsenal. He played 369 games for the Gunners and helped them win three FA Cups and three Community Shields, as well as reach two League Cup finals and the 2019 Europa League final.
Ramsey left Arsenal for Juventus in the summer of 2019. Although his time in Turin didn’t quite go to plan, he still made 70 appearances and completed a set of domestic honours – winning the Serie A title, Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup.
Rangers before spending last season at French club Nice. He was tipped to go to Saudi Arabia this summer but has decided to return home instead.
“I want to come back while I still feel like I can perform and help this team. And now is the perfect time to do that. I’m very experienced,” added Ramsey.
“And I hope that I can help a lot of the young players coming through as well. So there’s a lot of things that I’m looking forward to and getting stuck into here.”
Aaron Ramsey returns to his boyhood club Cardiff City on the same day his son signs for their academy 🥺
(via @aaronramsey)pic.twitter.com/4RpWMwcy0M
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 15, 2023
One of those players the midfielder hope to nurture and develop is Rubin Colwill, whose club career appears to have stalled at Cardiff, even though he was in the same Wales squad as Ramsey that went to the World Cup in Qatar last year.
“Rubin has got an amazing amount of talent. He has certainly showed glimpses of that over the last few years,” said Ramsey.
“I am hoping he can take that next step now and consistently show how good he can be. There is no question about the ability he has, it’s about now how much he wants it and how much he is willing to give to get the highest level.”
Aaron Ramsey Is Finally A Bluebird Again……And So Is His Son Sonny