Gastón Ramírez has been the subject of some media scrutiny of late after Sevilla’s manager Unai Emery used him as an example to demonstrate the imbalance of the English and Spanish leagues. Emery told The Guardian, “We can’t compete economically with Hull City. We pay less, but we compete more. It’s hard to explain that. Ramírez didn’t even reply, he ignored my calls. We had won the Europa League but he didn’t pick up the phone. I don’t know if he is playing, but now we’re in another final. Our fans love this competition.” This brings up the uncertain future of the Uruguayan after his disappointing loan period at Hull City.
While at Hull City the Attacking Midfielder did poorly appearing in 22 matches, which only 4 of were complete games. He accumulated one goal and one assist while on-loan on Humberside, proving he never truly fit in at the KC Stadium. He finished the season on a poor note, missing their last two games due to a hamstring issue. The severity of the injury is unknown, but he was left out of the Uruguayan National Squad for the upcoming Copa America. This was after traveling to Brazil last summer for the World Cup serving as a key substitute. It is unknown if he was left out of the squad because of his injury or poor form.
The rumour mill now surrounds the 24-year-old who attracted interest last summer. Clubs believe he can do well in another league and could be available for a cheaper price. The Italian tabloid La Gazetta is reporting that several Italian clubs are interested, specifically Inter Milan. Ramírez did well in Serie A with Bologna before he made his move to Southampton in the summer of 2012. He has not excelled in the Premier League and a move back to Italy could help rejuvenate his career. Southampton would most likely not be able to conjure any offers near the reported £12 million they paid for him, but it could be worth getting rid of a player who failed to find form.
The arguments for keeping Ramírez have some validity to them as well. The midfielder could help provide depth for a squad preparing for additional Europa League fixtures. The club could also keep him and send him on loan or play him more to potentially increase his value. He was also unofficially spotted at Southampton’s training facility. After Nathaniel Clyne’s one hundredth match with the club against Aston Villa, he was given a jersey with the number 100 on it. The club’s kit man, Mark Forbes, posted a picture on Twitter of Clyne and Ward-Prowse posing with the jersey, but seemed to catch Gastón Ramírez in the background of the photo sporting Southampton training gear.
@SouthamptonFC @Nathaniel_Clyne respect to the Stockwell Massive congratulations and @Prowsey16 FEC well done call up pic.twitter.com/UtLGkbainD
— Mark Forbes (@KitmanForbesy) May 22, 2015
This was a day before Hull City’s end of season clash with Manchester United. He was most likely sent back to Southampton due to his injury, but whether this is an indication that Ramírez could be returning to St. Mary’s next season is in the eyes of the beholder. The future of the Uruguayan is very much up in the air. The club may look to bring him back in order to possibly raise his selling price or keep him around for the long term with the exodus of other loanee midfielders Eljero Elia and Filip Djuricic. They could also choose to sell him and use the money elsewhere during a “Massive” summer for the Saints as Jose Fonte said a few weeks ago. Either way the future of Gastón Ramírez is integral to next season’s Europa campaign and it will be interesting to see how the saga unfolds in the weeks to come.
