Arsene Wenger has played down suggestions Arsenal could sell Jack Wilshere stressing the Gunners no longer need to cash in on their prized assets.
After playing for the under-21s on Monday night a couple of papers ran speculative nonsense linking the England international with a summer move to Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus. In light of the lack of drama at the Emirates the stories were obviously cooked up for a few hits…
Given no story, made up or otherwise, is not a story until it’s dismissed by Wenger, he was summarily questioned about the guff at today’s press conference.
Sliding in with two feet off the ground to tackle the subject, Wenger said: “You can imagine my answer and send it to Sky Sports News. You have enough experience…
“We are not in a position anymore where we have to sell our best players.”
He added: “We cannot make a case of any headline in any newspaper in a press conference from things that are not true.”
Wilshere, 23, is under contract until 2018. The boss also confirmed he’ll be available for Saturday’s game against Burnley.
“Everybody can have a big impact until the end of the season, Jack included.
Every player who doesn’t play is very frustrated when he can not perform – (Abou) Diaby has been out for a year, (Theo) Walcott has been out for a year.
“Wilshere has played many games this year, he was out, but not for as long as Walcott or Diaby.”
we choose who we buy and we choose who we sell now!
Arsene is the one who knocks!
Every one of us needs to watch that press conference. AW owned each and every question. It was too easy: reporter asks question clearly designed to draw a sound bite, AW defly shimmies and ripostes.
Indeed, it’s a far cry from the post-stadium debt days when Arsenal had to sell their best players year after year, which in itself also created a vicious cycle. I for one, really hope that with the financial shackles off, Wenger shows the world what he’s truly made of with the close of this season and especially the next. We have a great example in the “world class manager” Pellegrini who’s moaning about not being able to spend his petrodollars after splurging on flops like Mangala. And this situation is only a spending cap, and it’s nowhere near selling his… Read more »
The comparison between us and City highlights exactly what an incredible job Wenger has done. They had a couple of shoddy years in the transfer market and they’re now faced with the very real proposition of a team with an average age of about 30 with no young players coming through and (supposedly) huge scrutiny on their spending. Yes, there’ve been bad times and yes, I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on what should/ could have been done better, but football is a cyclical thing, which people fail to grasp. There will always be periods where certain teams do… Read more »
Totally agree, a sense of balance would be fantastic, though there are so many trolls (eg the papers, sites on the internet) that want to get hits that we have to put up with ‘will Wilshere (or someone) leave?’ or ‘which players should we buy/sell next season?’. Or fans should be forced to look at videos of much of the 70s and 80s when we were pretty poor and realise that these are pretty good times, just following exceptional times (eg the Invincibles). Given the far improved financial situation, the current squad and the manager hopefully we are heading back… Read more »
It is difficult sometimes to ignore them, particularly people like Scholes. If he’s doing it on purpose he’s far more intelligent than I give him credit for. Also, I’m intrigued to know; I’m of the age where the ‘Premier League era’ is very much all I’ve seen. But has it always been the norm that every summer the question would be ‘which two or three players do X need to win the league?’? There seems absolutely no room for player development, and everyone now seems to have bought into the old Chelsea/ current City way of operating. All seems a… Read more »
Did everyone eat their Wheaties this morning ??!! Some incredible sense being written today. What a refreshing change
Only recent years. In the 70s and 80s there was far less instant communication, players’ agents stirring things up. You read the papers and watched TV (though most games weren’t on live, just MOTD, hence the popularity of the FA Cup which was), chatted to friends down the pub (the same ones). So people had views but there was no sense that some people have that their views were listened to or would have any effect (eg the ‘we should buy Schneiderlin, Cech etc etc’ that you hear now). In some ways far better then, some players would arrive at… Read more »
Scholes is a ManUre man through and through. If they’re about to play any team then he’ll try to get under the skin of one of the opposition ‘star’ players.
He played the game in the same way knowing that getting into a guys head is as good as giving him a ‘reducer (as per Keown)’.
The only time he ever talks any sense is when he speaks of a player that ManUre aren’t playing against for some weeks/months so he can actually be honest.
What do you mean look at the videos! I was there on the terraces!! And we were even worse in the sixties, believe me…
The transfer speculation is worse than it was before the Premier League because before the Premier League also means before the Bosman ruling.
my sentiments exactly and i coudnt have expressed it any better!
I simply cant understand the few thumb downs…..this, to me, is an evenly balanced and well thought out personal opinion…..but then we are in a democracy and everybody is entitled to their own views
kudos!……youve got my thumbs up pal!
I think the problem, which I’m sure Blogs has mentioned on here at some point, is that Wenger suffers from the high standards set in his earlier years. Out of the 19 other teams in the league, 15 or 16 would be pretty chuffed with a manager with Le Prof’s record and consistency. Reckon Mike Ashley would have him signed to a 15 year contract. Our fanbase can seem to have an awful lot of naysayers and vitriol when we lose/don’t play well (particularly online). I’m unsure whether that’s due to all our fans throwing hissy fits, or lack of… Read more »
He sells when he wants.
How brilliantly put was that. I could not agree one single bit more!
I think we’re all missing the single thing that makes Jack different from afore mentioned RVP, Nasri and Song. Jack is not a money grabbing, ego fuelled turncoat. He actually has principles and standards. Future Arsenal and England captain.
He’s a footballer mate, don’t hold your breath.
I don’t understand why people think there is loyalty in football? It’s a job, just like any other. Players will do their job, but if something better comes along, it will take something quite special to remain where they are. Football careers are short, individuals have to grab the opportunities when they arise.
If there is loyalty and players have grown up with Arsenal then fans love them more, though I agree performance is v important. I imagine it is hard to really have any true feelings for the highly paid mercenaries that Man City have, despite the titles. The many players that have been sold by Arsenal have probably earnt more but have lost the playing partnerships that they had at the club (it takes time do develop new understandings) and most have been poorer in the new clubs, from a playing and a supporting point of view. I used to love… Read more »
Because it’s not. I didnt grow up eagerly awaiting the weekend so I could watch and cheer on the local Tesco delivery being made, then spend my teenage years training every day and learning my trade in the Tesco U19 delivery team so that one day I might be able to join the actual Tesco delivery first team and maybe even have the honour of driving the van.
Not that I work for, or want to work for, or dismiss anyone that does work at, Tesco but you get the point…
Jack has already served Arsenal longer than 75% of the working population.
Um, I think I speak for all of us when I say “You what?!”
Jack will only leave if Arsene pulls him up and says “errrrr Jackie, LISTEN… Diaby is back, so I must do everything to give him a chance, so you must leave u know and play for 4th place at Citeh…”
Arsene was ridiculed for the way he ran the club when the coffers are tight. But now everyone is looking at us in envy. Not only we are sound financially we also produce damn good looking football with great footballers and backups that will last us well into the next decade. Now let’s go on and win a trophy (or two) this season.
Jack will get his chance. He’s top top quality after all
He scored a great goal, curling into the top corner when about 16 years old for the U18s, Wenger was in the stand and mentioned it after the match. Remember the Norwich goal as well last season.
Don’t rule out a step up, he still has time and if he comes back super fit I think he can be great.
The Norwich goal was half Giroud’s skill too…
Whereas I loved the statement, it somehow appeared that we had to let go Cesc, RVP, Sagna, Nasri to get fundings which I don’t think was just the case..
He had to sell because we couldn’t afford to match the contracts they were getting at Citeh etc – and we could not afford to lose some of those players for nothing.
I don’t think he wanted to lose any if those players except Adebayor, Toure and Song who were seen as being disruptive.
Well, I think we had to not turn a net loss on player transfers, and since you always need to get some people coming in we also had to sell some in demand players to raise some money. Not necessarily all of them though, most of them probably left because they could get higher wages or a supposedly higher chance of silverware.
And then you have players like adebayor, song, or even rvp, sagna, and vermaelen, whose sales made people absolutely outrageous. Move forward a couple of years, and they were probably either moved at the right time, or were actually good riddances.
Well of course you had access to all the financial information about Arsenal that Wenger didn’t. Of course.
I’m back bitches!
Perhaps I’m reading into this a bit much, but wouldn’t the logical thing to say is that, simply, the entire report is bogus than to say that we don’t need to sell Wilshere?
Perhaps a tinge of truth to a City enquiry?
The rest of the quotes on the topic have surfaced [and been added above]. He pretty much does exactly that.
Thanks for the update and additional quotes.
That puts this nonsense to bed then.
I think Arséne should just get a sign that says “FFS” and whenever asked such bollocks, he just raises it, shakes his head and say “next”
He is too polite for that 😉
Agree with you. Let’s get him a ‘frayed knot’ instead.
I quite enjoy these snappy, thinly veiled two finger salutes he’s been giving lately!
Way more fun when he tells one ‘reporter’ that another ‘reporter’ is a lying twat, indirectly letting them all know they will get their due when they partake in the overly politely termed ‘speculation’.
a little bit fuck you to that question then
I hope next season will be one were Jack and Ox are injury free because a big step up like that of Ramsey is very close.
It would not only help us raise a serious title challenge all season long but also with homegrown talent! Which ofcourse will be ignored by the media – bitches!
…rather, we are in a position where we buy prized assets, blend with our youth and are about to launch a sustained onslaught on the BPL and CL from next season.
Listen; I am fully persuaded about our chances on both fronts from next season.
Regardless, I don’t see a starting place for Wilshere in this team. Midfield is packed with talent, and Chamberlain might start looking for a place there as well. It is hard to see who would improve Arsenals midfield, maybe a stronger player like Pogba, Schweinsteiger, or a younger Yaya Toure (I’m not saying we should buy these players). Will Zelalem start pushing into the first team? right now Wilshere adds depth, but I don’t see him improving without a run in the first team Here is a tough question, Wenger can buy Pogba, but he has to sell midfielder for… Read more »
Flamini.
What a shite-bollocks question.
i hope that’s the type of question wenger is asking himself. i think we have enough depth in every position except cover for ramsey and coquelin. we also have a number of players that aren’t contributing and could be sold to free up wages to accommodate 1 or 2 big signings so why not take a run at pogba? barcelona is out of the transfer market this year and man city doesn’t look like an attractive destination so it’s a good year for arsenal to be out looking to make a statement. if you don’t think we can upgrade on… Read more »
Hopefully the scorn was in a large bucket. Filled with ice, fish entrails, razor blades, and broken glass!
Harsh? Maybe a bit, haven’t had a ciggie since Saturday 🙂
Congrats and keep it up! Walking away from those crutches is one of the hardest but best things i’ve ever done.
Thanks 🙂 Even persuaded the Mrs to give it a go!!
Tell me where is he going to play?
Just cant see who he is better than in the current line up.
Same goes for Ramsey as im sure the Ox is favourite for right side position when fit
Where will he play? Turf Moor, Ashburton Grove, KC Stadium…who knows.
I think some people are in denial about the fact that we cannot field a team with all our midfield talent, if you think Wenger is going to rotate frequently then you don’t know Wenger. My bet is Walcott leaves and Wilshere/Ox have one more year to prove themselves, then one of them may leave
When fit jack is amazing. now he’s fit
He Is a very important player in the squad. He has taken some unnecessary criticism over the years and now I think he will step up and reach his full potential that we all knew he would reach.
he was fit at the beginning of the year and he was anything but amazing
JW is an arrogant player, selfish and inefficient. Arsenal plays much better without him, at the start of the season, when he left the pitch, Arsenal goaled and not only against Tottenham. He never celebrates his team’s wins, but prefers posting a pic of him on Twitter with his “main man” Fabregas.
He doesn’t goal, doesn’t assist, doesn’t create. Wenger favoured him at the start of the season instead of Cazorla and Özil as n°10. Now i hope that he won’t do the mistake again! Or the end of the season is lost.
So much inanity here, but my main issue, oddly enough is: since when is ‘goal’ a verb?
Since 10:22 am on the 9th of April 2015 apparently.
Watch out Burnley. You’re gonna get goaled! A LOT
Dybala, Schneiderlin and Alderweireld in!!!
Flamini, Podolski and Walcott out!!!
My hope for next season plus a dream capture of Marco Reus.
Fantasy football. Tempting to do but ignores team spirit, automatisms, players improvements.
Keep the current squad, add one class player (two tops) if they are available and that is that. We have a great team and lots of quality back-ups.
The transfer market’s not the only way to improve our squad.
But let’s not Kidd ourselves because we finally beat Utd and have hit a decent run.
If we have a chance to significantly improve any position and even if that means disposing of another player we should take it!
Arsene’s unwavering and at times misguided faith in the abilities of some of his players has been our downfall in the past.
Unwavering faith and misguided faith like he shown to Ramsey? To Giroud? to an extent RvP (lets ignore the bastard leave us once he uncrooked himself)
How about Gervinho, Eboue, Almunia, Diaby, Denilson, Senderos, Song, Bendtner and more then i can be bothered to list. Wenger’s definitely shown unwavering and misguided faith in all those players
Admit it, the Big has forever replaced the word chemistry with automatism in our heads
The BFG not big
Poor jack. I’m sure he had some nightmare when he heard these rumours. Nobody want to go to Liverpewl.
And I’m sure he doesn’t want to go to shitty.
Papers know there’s always a bullshit topic to write on Arsenal and the whole world will read it otherwise anything else is unreadable.
Jack is destined to play alongside our magnificent Coq. In the role than Cazorla is occupying at the moment. Alternatively he can play DM which he has done with class for England. TBH I am almost sure he can also play any AM position. I remember seeing him on the wing at the Emirates cup a few years back, he was outstanding!
We have quality in depth, we should embrace it.
But… but… The Daily Mail told us they had been reliably informed on Wednesday!
Surely they couldn’t lie? Could they?
This would be the same Mail who suggested that a move to Citeh would advance his career, yes?
And that would be the same Citeh who buy young English players, add them to the squad to keep the gerrymanderers of the FA happy, never play them and then let ’em go on a free to some mid-table mob when their contract runs down, yes?
Made me laugh.
Can never picture wilshere in any other team….
“You don’t kiss the badge and go to another team”
I only wish Wenger has the strength and capability to stay for 5 or more years here at Arsenal. People just forget what he has done during the stadium debt years. Rebuilding the team, and consistently keeping us in Champions league isn’t easy, especially when we had to lose our best players.
When we look back at that period, 10 years from now, we could realize what he has done for the long term stability of the club. He had the vision. Its hard these days to find such a manager.
Of course Arsene has both the ‘strength and the capability’ to stay on for at least a further five years. Why not? Why would he want to throw away all the work and patience he has invested in the current team that is now beginning to gel. Roll on AW, long may you reign.
Our only weakness is Per don’t think he is a world class CB tbh. Only place I would strengthen
how much i’m glad to see wenger saying we are not in position to sell our best players unless we want, all the best players that caused us pain for leaving because of the financial situation and the stadium i’m sure wenger was much much hurt then us fans, and he deserve this good times ahead and his contract when we have a great team with world class players we are financially strong which if a world class player like reus becomes available wenger will go for him to buy like with ozil, and he will not bring average players… Read more »
The question is, is Wilshere one of our best players?
And even if Wenger was open to selling him he’s hardly going to make that public and see Wilshere’s value go down is he.
Wilshere is a 23 year old English player and therefore commands a massively inflated transfer fee, he’s also injury prone and if Wenger has learnt anything with the likes of Diaby, Rosicky and RVP, right now might be a perfect opportunity to get the maximum possible return from a desperate Man City
I would think making it known would do the opposite for his value, driving up the bidding. I mean, that’s pretty much the only thing an agent does.
You don’t get the idea of supply and demand do you?
I get it quite well. More competition for a limited resource. Ever heard of an auction? It’s working the Demand side of Supply and Demand. Fact is you can manipulate either side of the equation, but if you have a supply of 1, it has to be something there is not a competing substitution for. If you increase the demand you have a larger pool of bidders vying for that resource so one can threaten to walk away and there will still be competition for the resource. Wenger doesn’t do business like that, but I doubt his price would go… Read more »
Whilst the resource might be 1, I’m pretty sure the demand is also one, however that’s beside the point. No manager is going to publicly put a player up for sale with 8 (maybe 9) games of the season remaining at a time when the transfer windows shut and upset his team. The suggestion is stupid.
It would be stupid. For example Palermo and Sterling. Sterling is different in that it’s him and his agents doing it, but they have opened the auction.
In the comments above I never suggested Jack be put up for sale. I don’t want to see him leave, I want him to prove the doubters wrong as seems to be the trend at Arsenal these days. I was just discussing the mechanics.
Being from India, i did not have much bargaining power when we discussed the football clubs we gun for. (yeah, being the ‘invincibles’ almost always got them) Now, i feel arsenal supporters across the world are going to witness an era which will better the history in every way. Finally time to be a happy gooner! Lets discuss the clubs we support….”up your arse”!
Steer clear of Neil Ashton’s Daily Mail article on Wilshere today. Once again he proves himself to be an utter c***, nothing’s changed since the “Ozil isn’t worth two bob and he’s nicking a living” fiasco.
how much u think wilshere squats?
that boys got sum big wheels