Arsene Wenger has suggested that the decision over Jack Wilshere’s future lies with the midfielder, saying that from the club’s side of things there’s clarity.
The 26 year old is out of contract in June and as yet hasn’t put pen to paper on a new deal despite one being on the table for some time.
It’s been widely reported that the offer made by Arsenal involves him taking a cut in basic pay but with a series of incentives based around appearances and availability which would see him earn more.
Having seen him miss countless games because of injury, and with a full awareness of his physical issues, you can understand the club being cautious, but it seems that the deal on offer at this moment in time isn’t enough for Wilshere to commit.
Asked about the latest on his situation at his press conference today, the Arsenal manager said, “It’s progressing.
“Yes [I’m hopeful], but the decision belongs him to, you know. At the end of the day you have to respect the decision of the player.
“Our desire is clear, is expressed, is numbered, and after that the player has to find satisfaction as well.”
So, it seems that unless there’s further negotiation the club and the player are at something of a stalemate, and it remains one of the many key issues that need to be addressed.
is there loyalty anymore? COYG
Arsenal should give him a proper deal. Instead of judging this man on hos past
I think what Arsenal is doing is absolutely correct. The fact that we even opted to go for this weird balanced wage structure has really backfired with the inflation of players prices and wages. Other teams have squad players earning 30-40k and we had Coquelin and players like Elneny I believe to be close to a hundred thousand. On paper a nice idea, but right now, we really need to cut down wages in the squad, so that we could compete financially. Just as a side note, I really like Wilshere and I think he has been one of our… Read more »
This might be a bit controversial but I’m not sure I’d give Jack another contract. It’s obvious he can’t play in an advanced role due onto his lack of pace, I was amazed Wenger played him wide left on Sunday. I also don’t think he can play in a two (certainly not with Xhaka), I think going forward we need two proper holding midfielders who can protect the back theee/four and give Ozil, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang etc license to attack. Then you look at his wages (100k) & his injury record I wonder if it’s worth retaining him & instead put… Read more »
I disagree and would love to see him sign. He’s English, passionate, committed and knows what it means to play for Arsenal. Jack’s mentality is something our squad severely lacks, he’s battled back from countless injuries and he’s a winner. Even if he isn’t a first team starter, he’ll be nipping at the heals of anyone in front of him. And let’s face it, Elneny and Xhaka? Do we really have a choice when the alternatives are so piss poor?
Didn’t watch the spurs or City game then? Regardless of talent or skill his effort was miles above the rest. He won us important free kicks in very dangerous areas(weren’t capitalised on) 100k is and isn’t a big wage. To us laymen it’s a dream come true but looking at PL wages of the top clubs and you see its pretty average for a player who’s renewed contract 3 times. In the cup final he didn’t have a great game going forward but neither did ozil or Auba and people aren’t pushing them out the door. Xhaka is the problem.… Read more »
You make some good points but I just feel it’s an area where we can dramatically improve in and If he’s not a guaranteed starter or you have to make allowances to enable him to play then why keep him?
We need two big strong complete DM’s, I just don’t see where Jack fits in the formations we play.
Because a team needs dynamic and passionate squad players who can change games. How often this season have we looked to our bench and thought “who on there can change this game?” Jack is extremely positive, never prepared to pass sideways and like Rocisky and Cazorla, has an ability to drive the team forward when we get flat. Plus, I mean c’mon, it’s Jack. It’s Jack fucking Wilshere.
Then get rid of xhaka and or Ramsey. Jack is better than either of them.
Yes but we also do not have anyone like him in the squad. Wenger’s time can’t be much longer. Why not have Jack around for the new manager to decide whether he works with his new formation? Rather than lose a 30-40 mil player approaching his prime.
You’re right, that was controversial, mostly because it’s utter nonsense. Wilshere gave one of his best performances in a 2 this season against Chelsea (and with Xhaka!) and was quality against Liverpool as well. And he was easily our best player on Sunday in the more advanced role, far better than Ozil even. Right now he’s the last player I’d look to move on.
As for needing two starting DMs, how about we focus on trying to get just the one first and see how that goes?
Personally, I don’t think Jack is going to be the player we all thought he would turn out to be. His lack of playing time over that crucial part of his career due to those lengthy injury lay offs, seem to have prevented him from reaching that top class level, which he has showed us glimpses of at times; we all remember that midfield performance he put in against Barcelona in 2011. However since then, he just hasn’t been able to recreate anything like that sort of form. And maybe that’s just us putting too much pressure on him. Maybe… Read more »
Our we could ask ozil to do the job of a supposedly world class player and track back and work hard. When bergkamp played the no 10 role he always done the dirty work
We have ozil , Miki and xhaka and Ramsey who believe this is beneath them.
I think within the right midfield combination Wilshere can still be an important player for us. He’s technically gifted with a wide passing range, vision, dribbling skills and one-touch play.
However in this shitshow of a team and dysfunctional midfield, his lack of physicallity is really exposed.
We need balance in the team, something we havn’t had for years. We desperately need truly defensive minded players whose skillset is destructive rather than progressive. That way we might be able to free up Wilshere, Mesut, Mikhi etc. to do what they do best.
Exactly this. This is the argument I never understood when the Arteta/Flamini argument was raging in 2013-14. The having ‘a more technical player flight leaves us more exposed defensively but makes us better offensively’ argument is nonsense. Without a proper destructive player our more gifted attacking players don’t get the platform to do their stuff. Having a proper DM makes us better both defending AND attacking. The only times we have looked like a side who could potentially win the league on the last 12 years were when Flamini or Coq were in the team. Even average players like those… Read more »
I’m no Wenger fan, but part of the issue seems to be the dearth of decent defensive midfielders – so whoever you are, you can’t buy what’s not for sale?
We could have got Kante for less than we paid for Elneny. And the Totts got Dembele, Dier & Wanyama, none of whom cost that much either…. this has been going on for 12 years. It’s not what’s available; it’s Arsene’s lack of interest in the position that’s the problem.
And not only our midfielders. You get the sense our centre backs were bought as much for their ball-playing skills as their defensive ones.
I’d like to add onto this by saying that a defensive midfielder that people are calling for might not be the best solution to our situation. Our biggest problem is tactical awareness in a defensive situation, whether is a transition (quick change of possession) or during multiple phases of defense we seem to have midfielders who can’t identify the shapes weakness as quick as the opposing attack players. We need someone who can fit into the team balance in terms of technical ability on the ball, technical tackling ability, physical ability (acceleration, turning, endurance) AND has the excellent spatial awareness… Read more »
Fair comments, it wouldn’t matter if we had the world’s best in every defensive position without coaching and on pitch organisation they would still make mistakes and look less than they actually were ! It’s the lack of organisation and clear game plans and tactics that are the root cause of our problems! Teams like Leicester etc weren’t full of top class players just well drilled , hard working players who fought for each other (their demise came when those players began to consider themselves the top class performers they were not ) organised well drilled teams can and do… Read more »
Can’t deny his passion for Arsenal but he just isn’t good enough, lack of pace, poor decision making and inability to recognise when he needs to move the ball on, too often gets caught in possession then spends too long on his arse or running after the ref waving is arms about. If only we could find a player with his passion but also a footballing brain.
I still believe Wilshere has to step it up a bit. He is around 26 now and there really is not that much time left. He has got to become our own Gerrard if is he is to achieve greatness. He has got to start coming up with something special like an assist or a goal when things are not going our way rather than picking up petty fights like he did the other day.
I agree with this. I always felt he lacked maturity and was hoping he’d overcome that in his time on loan etc. Still I do feel all the histrionics are born out of frustrtaion more than anything.
‘He has got to start coming up with something special like an assist or a goal when things are not going our way’….
Jack is far from the only player in our squad you could say this about though sadly…
He has got to become that sort of a player who inspires people around. His teammates should start looking upto him. Gerrard who played in a similar position as him would be a perfect example for Wilshere to look upto and emulate.
The thing is Gerrard was the main man at Liverpool and the whole team was built around him. Everything went through him whether he was playing at 8 or 10. But for us everything goes through Ozil, which means Jack is further away from goal creating situations than Gerrard ever was. The way the team is set up now, the best Jack could hope for is being the new Cazorla.
Was talking about the in built character of the player not the way he played.
I think the way you play is more important. Wilshere has the character but he can’t make the game changing interventions that Gerrard did if he’s so far from goal and at the same time deferring to Ozil ahead of him. Bear in mind that in Gerrard’s most productive season for Liverpool he was at 10 with Alonso and Mascherano behind him to protect the defence.
Everything doesn’t go through Ozil, he’s shunted out wide for Wilshere and Ramsey, and they do nothing. Wilshere is getting worse and not worth a new contract just because he’s been here for years. Would a new manager rate Wilshere or are we so used to his mediocrity we’ll accept what we have. There’s better in the marketplace and I’d rather give our youngsters a chance,who genuinely do have potential, than waste good money on a player whose been unfulfilled potential for the last eight years.
if we lose jack and almost certainly we are going to lose rambo then i really will be angry..
Wilshere has been one of our best players this season. Okay, the competition hasn’t been all that hot, but without his contributions – in both the Europa and Premier – we’d be nowhere. Is this what we’re doing now – we’ve got so used to baying for Wenger’s blood, we’re turning our attention to the first team now Wenger looks like he’s out the door soon?
Of all the long list of players that need to go, Wilshere is not one of them. He is one of the very few players in this squad who really understand what it means to play for arsenal. He bleeds arsenal, he has a true connection with the fans and he does have quality and fight. We need to keep players like Jack especially with the transition of managers that will be happening in the near future. Get rid of Xhaka, not Jack.
Its very hard to fairly assess Jack Wilshere.
he doesn’t need pace, his speed of though is the same, he could have been our pirlo with small accelerations and devastating incisive passing.
He is a player that needs a minder, a gauttuso, a gilberto or even an Alex Song
to often he is played in a midfield with Ramsay or Coquelin and that is a leaky bucket that you cant expect him to fix.
He could have been our Pirlo if he had the vision, skill or footballing brain Pirlo had, other than that almost the same player
Pirlo wasn’t Pirlo without a midfield partner that facilitated him.
Jack has incredible vision, skill and a footballing brain. He is the most talented midfielder England have ever produced.
Talent isn’t enough you need opportunity and application and i don’t think he ever got the opportunity.
I understand the prevailing narrative on all things arsenal is negative but you could try a little perspective when looking at our component parts.
We have an amazing array of ingredients that needs a different chef.
Gazza? To name one was different class, 10 times the player Wilshere is. Then there is Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes just in the modern era who are streets ahead. Wilshere is talented but not good enough for Arsenal, if you took away the passion for the club or was foreign this would not even be a debate.
Gerrard was a roy of the rovers. he did nothing for 88 minutes and then had about 2 minutes for the youtube compilation. Propped up by a series of players like alonzo, lucas etc Lampard had a glut of water carriers around him from Essien, Ballack, Obe Mikel, Makelele – Put a fit Wilshere in a team with Claude Makelele and you are talking titles. Scholes was fine – but when you put two of the above three together you had a rubbish midfield that couldn’t function. Gazza was a circus – he had a half career and no serious… Read more »
You are purely guessing that Jack would be great with the right players around him, Lampard and Gerrard proved it. Other than Arsenal fans you would be hard pressed to find any fans who think Wilshere is better than Lampard or Gerrard, laughable really.
How does Scholes escape your skewed analysis?he played with the best team and players in his era.
As for Gazza, Fergie wanted him, yes the best and most successful manager we have probably ever seen, I would say that is a serious team, no?
Given Ferguson’s attitude towards drinkers at the time – Whiteside, McGrath and his stalking of players who liked to party – i don’t think that would have lasted long. When he may have been interested was when gazza went to newcastle and to be frank Gazza wouldn’t have won any titles then. If he had of gone there i am pretty certain his star name and ill discipline would have caused all kind of problems for an embattled ferguson and we may have avoided the whole legacy. I am speculating what might have been with Jack. Of course i am.… Read more »
Viera and Keane piss all over Gerrard and Lampard!! Believe me I don’t think Gerrard or Lampard are true greats but they are proven top players who are far and away better players than Wilshere. You suggested Wilshere is the best England midfielder EVER.!!
Again it’s speculation but you could argue that Fergie would have got the best from Gazza and the career his talents deserved he may have achieved.
Jack has a highly developed football brain… I would say the best in the club after maybe mesut… He is also a brilliant passer(peep the Sanchez goal vs palace away) Never forget pirlos best years were later in his career and I strongly believe if jack had better players around him to suit his game like pirlo had Vidal and pogba/marchisio he’d be among the best in his position
Too many see the Jack they want to see (the one who played Barcelona almost a decade ago and looked like he had the potential to be world class) rather than the Jack that really sits in front of us. He’s passionate about the club and at least still cares when things are going poorly. But the reality is Jack has largely struggled when playing the better teams (as has the rest of the team) and people are viewing his still trying as playing well. He’s a good squad player at this point – he wouldn’t be a starter at… Read more »
Its a team game… apart from the keeper (and maybe a dominant centre half – ala Richard Dunne against Russia) you can’t have a storming performance against a top team if the rest of your team is struggling.
the dominating team just pass around you and double team you when you are in posession.
Jack gets hacked down systematically by every team we play. Peps erudite, cultured team of demi gods all took it in turn to target and hack him and ozil down.
The other team managers that target him obviously think he is a threat
Jack has a temper and is a horrible tackler. If he’s targeted which it’s not clear he is then that’s why
By the way if you look at the numbers, Jack is only the 31st most fouled player in the PL behind such world class talents as glenn murray of brighton, Adam smith of Bournemouth or Rajiv van la parra of huddersfield. he is also tied with Xhaka. The narrative simply doesn’t hold up to scrutiny as I don’t think opposing managers view Xhaka as so important that they have to tactically foul him to stop him.
Is that just based on PL games only? Wilshere wasn’t even playing much PL games during the first 2-3 months.
We need a change in the dugout before we can come to any real conclusion on any of our players, even ones that currently look terrible
#bouldout
Jack should take a pay cut for injuries and not living up to hes potential as yet but Wenger signs a deal on more for what exactly ?
After all the upheaval the last thing the club need is to be messed around by Wilshire. He’s only somewhat proved something in the last few months and is not often in the starting 11. Tell him to sign or sling his hook, the club needs to be more focused.
At some point you just gotta say “Enough is enough”. I’m sick and tired of watching our guys spend more time in the treatment room rather than on the pitch. Time to say goodbye to guys like Wilshere, Ramsey, Welbeck, and Santi Cazorla. Arsenal is a Football Club, not a charity.
Or he’s not happy with the offer and Arsenal aren’t blinking. I think he will sign it but if not, it’s not a huge loss.
This should have been done a long time ago. Makes absolute sense and if he doesn’t sign it will be because he’s not committed to putting Arsenal first. We shouldn’t be held to ransom by players who doesn’t deliver for us on the pitch, Wilshere, Walcott (to a lesser extent) and the likes. I love Jack to bits, but he has proven nothing for Arsenal so far in his career.
Here’s an idea. Let’s not inform the world he needs to take a pay cut.
I just wish we’d brought Cesc back when we had the chance. Many similar qualities but more complete and consistent player. Anywho…
Maybe Arsene should have had been given a contract based on performance as well.