Transfer: Emmanuel Petit tells Emery who to sign as Aaron Ramsey’s replacement

Former Arsenal midfielder, Emmanuel Petit has called on the club’s manager, Unai Emery, to sign James Rodriguez as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey has already agreed to a contract with Juventus, and is set to leave Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of the season.

However, Emery wants Arsenal to sign a new midfielder this month and the club have been in talks with Barcelona over a loan deal for Denis Suarez.

Rodriguez has also been linked with a switch to Arsenal as Bayern Munich are unlikely to take up their €42 million (£36.8m) option to permanently sign him from Real Madrid.

Petit believes the Colombia international would be an excellent addition to Arsenal’s side.

“I have known James Rodriguez from when he played for Monaco and I think he is a very good attacking midfielder,” he told the Daily Mirror.

“I believe he is a proper number ten, I like him in the middle of the park controlling the game.

“He has this quality, it’s a mix of [Cesc] Fabregas and Isco – and I think he would be a very good signing for Arsenal.

“If I had to chose between them [Rodriguez and Suarez], knowing the situation with Ramsey, Arsenal definitely need an attacking midfielder and need to get a player who has the personality to direct a game and not hide all the time.

“I think James Rodriguez is one of them.”