As Jack Wilshere and Bournemouth prepare to face Man City at the Vitality Stadium on Monday night, the on-loan Arsenal man has been giving a ringing endorsement by Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard knows a thing or two about diminutive, skilful midfield players and he was quick to recall how Wilshere caught the eye when Arsenal played Barcelona in the Champions League some years ago.
“I remember in Barcelona and that year we played Arsenal,” he said. “He left a massive impression when he came. A high, high level. I know the problem with Jack Wilshere was just the injuries.
“He’s lucky to play regularly for one season and he is going to be back to being one of the best midfield players in England by far. He’s quality, he’s smart and has the quality on the ball.
“He has a special quality with the ball, dribbling as a holding midfielder to attack central defenders – it’s not easy to do that. He’s a little bit like Dembele at Tottenham.
“They have quality to pass, pass, pass and then immediately destroy the defensive structures. I’m so happy he’s back and he’s playing regularly.
“Hopefully on Monday he can play.”
Wilshere’s future remains uncertain, despite Eddie Howe’s desire to sign him for Bournemouth on a permanent basis.
Arsene Wenger has always said he wants to keep him at the club in the long-term, but as yet there have been no contract offers for a player who will have just 12 months left on his deal this summer.
£60mil and he’s all yours pep.
I wouldn’t want to lose Jack. But £60 million is really a good offer
Except, that we ain’t getting anything in return for them 60 mils…
I’d grab any above 32 mil and run.
Last contract year, never really fit when with the Arsenal.
C’mom Pep, show us the money!
Why are we so interested in filling the Kroenke piggy bank?
Jack was injured, again, no body is going to buy him >£20m
What for do you need more money on the account? I’d rather keep a world class player than to cash in and then start shopping for a replacement…
World class.. really?
Potential to be world class, ridiculous natural ability, unbelievable vision and understanding of the game. Having regularly watched Bournemouth games this season I can say he’s not a shadow of the player he once was. His decision making and movement is a fraction of a second too slow, that was what made him special. As someone who’s game was based on mobility, I tore my ACL and never really got my pace or movement back, so I can kind of understand what’s going on with him. It’s such a shame but I really don’t see him fulfilling his potential, and… Read more »
Shame we didn’t sign Payet then eh
That’s not the questionable part, replacement ha
I’ve had a belly full of our players joining them wankers. They can shove £60million where the sun don’t shine.
It’s your hierarchy that are the wankers. City made offers that your board accepted. Arsene threw the mud with his “financial doping” bollocks while selling his players for approximately twice their worth. What a hypocrite he is. And you, for that matter.
Oi crash test dummy take a hike to your own sites!
Is this M&M’s the chocolate or Slim Shady? Lol
Bugger off you mutt, how stupid do you have to be to argue with Arsenal fans in an Arsenal Fan Platform!?!?
So we have covert fans now! Lol. Maybe the whole Wenger out is a plan hmmm.. Sad people don’t just take it anymore as sports entertainment. It looks like a religion now! Get a life man its not worth it
well mm, you sure showed us. we will all now change our opinion on football thanks to your gracious activism. you’ve done good in the world, today. well done.
£60m for an english player? Even taking into account the inflated prices for English players, you also have the homegrown quota to add-in, so closer to £70/75m
Nobody is going to spend £75mill for wilshire. Not even the oil soaked sheiks with the deepest of pockets and money to burn.
Swap deal for Aguero. Aguero and Sanchez would be a deadly duo.
My first thought is we don’t need a striker at the moment (Welbz and Perez are dying for a game!) but IF Aguero is available… tricky call to say the least.
Wilshere for Aguero. Play Sanchez on the left, with Ox permaneny moving into the center. Problem solved.
Otherwise Pep and the oil rich Sheikhs can go f*ck themselves.
Jack did what jack does best again, needlessly throwing himself into s 50/50 challenge that forced his early departure just shy of the half. In the end a comfortable win for shitty city. Better manager and better players. The same can be said for Chelsea as well. Better manager and better players. And players that believe in and play for their manager and each other. When was the last time we could say that.
Absolutely, he should have just slowed down and let the guy score. Muppet.
In what parallel universe is Jack Wilshire worth £60m?
“I remember in Barcelona and that year we played Arsenal”
How many years ago? But don’t worry, Pep, on this single game, many Arsenal fans still wish him back to conquer the title.
He should’ve seen Sanogo at that one game. He was world class.
going to run a poll on here:
In 2011 I served Jack in a meze restaurant. he was pretty terse when he ordered and he parked his audi on double yellows outside the restaurant, but also he left a big tip at the end, so i don’t know what to think.
thumbs up if you think wenger in, thumbs down if you think wenger out.
Yes, but you also need to factor in that it is bloody gloomy in London today so Wenger out for me on the balance of things
I am not taking part so there! 🙂
Hey JACK is not ARSEne! Go stick that poll somewhere else! We have a big match coming up!!ffs some people!!! Aaaagh
I took the poll for humour…. Maybe I was wrong?
i guess you can’t please everyone
My God, it’s 2017 now and Pep’s talking about that one game in 2011
I guess he doesn’t know jack all about the other Bournemouth players… so…
Has that poll really swung back so drastically after one win at home against hull? Wow. Amnesia reigns supreme at the emirates…
Thumbs up if you’re going to vote Wenger Stay regardless of how you feel until these polls go away
Sergio biscuits has to be the most hateful footballer out there.
Costa? Nasri? RVP? Terry?
My BP just shot up there…
Ryan Shawcross? Joey Barton?
He should be offered a bumper contract by us now regardless of where he’s going. If he’s allowed to leave with just 12 months left he’ll either hold out for nothing or we’ll get pittance for him.
Probably from one of our direct rivals which would really fucking hurt.
A bumper contract?!???
You’re joking of course? Right?
I’m Wenger in but still want to Thumb Down your comment. What do I do for that?
I remember Guardiola saying – some years ago – that Barcelona had many players like Wilshere
in their academy. This was said just before a champions league game against them.
I don’t know if he was playing mind games or what, but he seemed to be saying that Wilshere
was no big deal, and didn’t really understand all the fuss.
I wonder what has happened to all of those Wilshere-like clones that Guardiola was referring to?
Maybe they all got injured, or started smoking or just kept running into people and fell over a lot?
Helmet on. 🙂
In fairness, Barcelona did have quite a few players similar to Wilshere, off the top of my head I can name Espinosa, Sergi Roberto (currently converted into a right back), Sergi Samper, Tiago (Bayern), his brother Rafinha plus a few others I can’t remember now.
In fairness though none of them ever showed the same time of tantalising central midfield potential that Wilshere showed in that one season before his injury nightmare started.
it’s a matter of opinion but to me, Tiago (currently at Bayern) is head and shoulders above Wilshere.
in fairness sergi roberto ,tiago and maybe rafinha had better careers than wilshere so far. wilshere only played well that single season
Why would Pep soil the “ringing endorsement” by mentioning a spuds player in the same sentence as Jack?
2 birds with 1 stone. I can’t get Wilshere, Oh Dembele wants to join? Fine I’ll settle for that!
I seem to remember Pep saying he had a bunch of midfielders of the same calibre in his youth setup, at the time of said match.
The English media constantly goes fishing for compliments from accomplished foreign managers/players about English players. They play along and say something nice to be polite. The English media then repeats this over and over again until the public believe it to be true. Hence the perception that the likes of Scholes, Gerrard, Rooney et al were ‘world class’ despite the obvious evidence to the contrary in every international competition they appeared in for England.
As much as I hate to admit it Rooney was the only one of those that was actually world class for half a dozen or so years, right up until he got a 300k/week contract and a hair transplant basically. Unfortunately he played that whole time alongside a bunch of talentless clowns who couldn’t hold onto a ball or string together three passes. Never mind Lampard and Gerrard who were half decent (as in half as decent as everyone thought they were) but stepped on each other’s feet, but remember Emile Heskey? Joe Cole? Gareth Barry? Stewart Downing??? To think… Read more »
Pep knows a world class player when he sees one excluding gkers of course . Come back home Jack.
Excluding Dembele!…..spuds…grrrrrrrrh!
If he can stay fit and motivated I see Jack as Santi’s natural heir.
I would love Isco or Thiago Alcantara as a Santi replacement or to play with him.
Both number 10s that work well in deaper positions due to their ability to easily get out of pressure and their vision to pick a long ball.
I think verratti would be a nice like for like replacement for santi even a step up. He is a two footed player, can work well in tight spaces, and loves coming back to start the attack deep in his own half. Also chases the ball down and plays defense.
Yeah actually veratti would probably be a better replacement for Santi than Isco and Thiago. He’s more of a deep lying midfielder (which is what we want) and is actually pretty good at defending. Plus he’s excellent at playing the Pirlo role, spraying precise long balls all over the pitch.
From all the rumours one can predict that he’ll go for glam and big bucks like Pogba to Juve/Chelsea/Barca/City if ever he likes his cushy job at PSG.
*leaves his job
I know this will get thumbs down, because people haaate Pep on here, but he’s right.
He highlights literally Jacks best attribute. He spins CMS and forces one of the two CBS to come out and stop him. Also that’s when he’s taken his biggest hits (Kompany, Evans, Cahill, Puyol).. but also created his finest moments like the insane goal at Norwich.
I like Pep
Clearly you don’t know as much as you think you do! ?
Woah woah woah!
He’s good on the Arsenal pitch, hes good with the Arsenal ball, he plays well with his Arsenal teammates, he attacks well with the rest of his Arsenal team, he protects the Arsenal defense, he scores the Arsenal goals.
Regardless of him being sold or not, at the moment, he’s Arsenal. And you NEVER compare a Gunner to Totte..i don’t even wanna say it. Better to ask Jack what he himself thinks of Totte…oh crap just puked on my shirt gotta change :S
Your Lordship, what do we think of T*ttenham?
Faecal matter
Waiting for that DNA-bs to come along pretty soon…
Wislshere makes a decent paycheck. He has city DNA!
Turns out he has an aunt that lived in Manchester for a couple of months as a child. It would be criminal and unjust if we blocked this move!
In that game, Jack wiped his arse with that oh ‘ so almighty midfield from that w****r club.
Here’s what Jack thinks of your club and your fans, Pep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KRgN282zBo
Wilshere hasn’t done anything too special this season for me. Been decent enough but that’s it. Not sure he’ll ever be the player he once threatened to be and seen some interesting comments re the potential scenario if we were to sell him to City (Aquero in for example, defo food for thought). Just my opinion obviously but not entirely convinced it will be a mistake if we were to let him go. Have great options and certainly feel we have missed Granit more than we would have Wilshere these last few games as things stand currently. Think Granit has… Read more »
Wilshere hurt today, argh!!!! Ankle again. Typical Wilshere injury, went for a ball /tackle he probably shouldn’t have.
I hope it’s not serious, but he doesn’t help himself in the way he lunges into tackles from time to time.
Let’s not be too harsh on his judgment – that looked more of a garden variety attempt to block / tackle to me. A far cry from a few of his previous hell-for-leather lunges. From the replay it looked more to me like a weird, unfortunate twist from the ball or players foot catching him out toward the end of his foot.
But yeah, here we are worrying again.
Hes always injured. Ramsey is way better.
Exactly! When was the last time Ramsey was injured??
Theres a difference being always unavailable and last time being injured. Wilshere was injured almost the whole last couple years in Arsenal. Ramsey never been injured in training or never been smoking or bar fighting while earning fat paycheck as an always injured occupying clubs number 10.
Jacks a gooner. If we can keep diaby on the payroll for so long then we can certainly offer one of our favorite home grown talents an extension.
Fake news!!!!!!….posted by jurno in the pocket of his agent..the vernacular is all wrong.