Arsene Wenger insists Jack Wilshere’s Arsenal future is not in jeopardy and that the England international can return to the Emirates from his loan at Bournemouth to reestablish himself as a mainstay of the club’s midfield for years to come.
All eyes will be on the 24-year-old when he makes his debut for Eddie Howe’s side against West Bromwich Albion tomorrow; a chance to lay down a marker at a crucial moment in his career.
At his first press conference since the transfer window closed, Wenger reflected on the late decision to release his protégé: “We had a chat together and he himself was concerned that he would not get enough competition early enough.
“He feels ready to play. I couldn’t guarantee that so that’s why we thought it’s a logical decision to give him time to really come back to a competitive level. At some stage you need competition and I couldn’t guarantee him that.
“The challenge for Jack is to play the games.”
Asked whether Wilshere’s career at Arsenal is now in jeopardy, the boss made clear that the 24-year-old remains firmly in his plans for the future.
“No, not at all. He wanted games and I can understand his desire. I felt it was a logical decision.
“Let’s not forget that last year he didn’t play. He’s in a position where you need games. You cannot be out for two seasons and then want him to be at the top level.
“It’s important for him that he gets the number of games this season.
“I hope personally that he stays his whole career here [at Arsenal]. He is a world class player, he doesn’t have to show me that he has the quality, it’s just that he comes back to a regular competitive level.”
Right now, all we can do is wish Jack the best. If he stays fit he makes Bournemouth a better side against every other club in the league, except us. Make his mark and no doubt he’ll be welcomed back into the Arsenal bosom with open arms.
It’s 15th april with 5 matches remaining,if AFC Bournemouth wins the game against spurs,arsenal will win the league,ITS JACKKKK WILSHERE WITH THE WINNER TO MAKE ARSENAL WIN THE LEAGUE.
You saying like that lot was even within shout to deny us the title >.>
Ultimately Jack’s Arsenal career is in his hands, Arsene hasn’t shut the door on him entirely, but he has to prove he can actually make it through a season without being injured, because we can’t keep having him sucking up wages paying him a fuck load of money and not getting any game time out of him – it wouldn’t be whats best for the team. I really hope he has a huge season at Bournemouth and proves all the doubters wrong, because I am so bored of hearing all the stick he gets from all those muggy cunts in… Read more »
“Pissing on Xavi and Iniesta’s strawberries in midfield” – what a lovely phrase, I salute you sir. Let’s face it, Jack’s the only current Arsenal player who actually would piss on someone’s strawberries.
…and having dampened them, use them to stub out his cigarette.
…If you think I mean he would stub his cigarette out on Xavi and Iniesta, well fine, that works too 🙂
Jack has been placed on a pedestal by people like you, you know why shit fans say Ali is better, because he is.
Jack in the 13-14 season when he scored that goal v Norwich
24 app, 3 goals, 4 assists, 33 chances created
Ali last year
33 app, 10 goals, 9 assists, 55 chances created
Jack is a what if, not much more
Jack 2 chants, in case you missed that
This was exactly what i wanted Wenger to say. Maybe it wasnt true but for the moment i will presume it was, i am a Wilshere fanboy.
Maybe Arsène, it’s time to stop adoring Jack and to start considering him as he is: a good player and nothing more. But well, Jack can some back at 33 years old and retire at Arsenal at 34, yeah, why not?
If you think jack is “a good player and nothing more”, you haven’t been following Arsenal very long….
Or football generally.
Just wish we had inserted a clause about a potential recall in January. That would have been a sound business practice given that the objective of giving him games will have been met, and we all know about our injury record.
I reckon that’s quite telling from the club. I guess the timing could have been an issue (with the loan deal essentially being completed within the last two days) but if the club felt they needed the insurance of a recall then surely they would have pressed for it and *probably* could have gotten it from one of the suitors.
As far as I’m aware, loans between EPL teams have to be season long, with no recall option.
Are we sure about this? Where do you get your information? I’m genuinely curious to know if this is the case.
Loan rules were changed quite a lot from last season. You don’t get a recall outside of the transfer window. There are no emergency recalls now either. Once you’re in you’re in for the long haul. If we send another player to Pubis we can’t rescue him no matter how much Pubis abuses or ignores him.
This is a good thing considering the couple of clubs that seem to be hoovering up players and loaning them out as a strategy.
I would also love to be welcomed back into the Arsenal bosom. I am guessing she’s a 32D or more
..and the hair on her dickey-di-do hangs down to her knees.
I met her at a club down in North Soho-
Who knows. He’s 25 already and like it or not he will likely lose ground with the guys that remain at Arsenal right now. He’ll have to stay fit and perform very well there to have a real chance back
He’s actually 24. He’ll be 25 in January, but until such time as he turns 25, he remains 24.
He’s a lot nearer 25 than he is 24. That’s a fact.
He’s 24. That’s a fact.
Didn’t you do fractions at school? When he turns 25 he is no longer 24.
Isn’t that how the famous Jackson Martinez repartee went?
heh, I can’t quite remember, other than it was hilariously stupid.
So we’re not including the nine months in the womb? I’m so confused…
He’s nearer 20 than 30. That’s a fact but equally doesn’t get us very far.
Clearly I shouldn’t have refererence the most embarrassing Arsenal twitter argument of all time!
FYR: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2494405-arsenal-fans-argument-over-jackson-martinezs-age-goes-viral
I don’t care what yoy say, the dress is blue and gold
Bloody Rules Lawyers 😉
I remember circa 2011, I believe (shortly after the Barcelona game). I had a heated debate with a friend regarding who was the better player, Jack or Aaron. I still maintain Jack is the better player as his style when it clicks is a joy to watch (remember that goal against Norwich). Anyway, I can’t help thinking of all the injury prone players we’ve had whose career at Arsenal was never fulfilled and wandering if he will buck the trend: Diaby – Perpetually injured and had to retire Rosicky – Multiple injuries and could not deliver on a constant basis… Read more »
Genuine question: if we had lost Ramsey and/or Cazorla this summer and were therefore also in the market for a creative central midfielder, how many people would have been happy if we went and signed someone from Bournemouth as the replacement?
Genuine question: what has this got to do with anything?
I genuinely don’t think that many people would have been happy to sign a replacement for either Ramsey or Cazorla from Bournemouth this year, so it’s peculiar to me that so many people seem to be willing to do so next summer. Hence the question. I think he’s taken a massive step down and personally, as much as I hate to say it, I don’t think he’ll step back up. I also tend to think that there are a lot of fans who are biased towards Wilshere simply because he’s a homegrown player who’s been around the club for a… Read more »
I don’t think you understand the idea of loan deals… it’s about game time, fitness and competition. It’s not always where a club are in the league. Jack wanted game time to prove fitness and get a run of form. Arsene couldn’t promise him that (not just down to his ability) so they chose this route. I don’t necessarily agree with it but we’ll see what happens. Hopefully he’ll come back full of confidence, form and fit!
I think you’re missing the distinction between a loan deal for an 18 year-old and a 24 year old. Besides it’s unquestionably a step-down in quality and he’d have got plenty of game time had he stayed with us and stayed fit – he played in both of the opening games. Jack runs the risk of dropping his standards, that’s my point – nobody would want a Bournemouth player for a reason.
the priority for jack is right now to get some playing time , not play for a worldclass team or score loads of goals . if he goes to roma he will have the same sort of competition like he has at arsenal , they’re not so short at midfield . so if he didint get his chance to play there , it would’ve been all for nothing
Oh ok then, loan him to the Dog and Duck, it’ll be exactly the same and he’ll come back all the better for it.
He’ll play the same teams in the PL with Bournemouth as he might have played with Arsenal. He won’t be getting any CL games, but that’s good if he’s trying to get himself back to his best without too many 3-day turnarounds between matches. It’s fair to say that he won’t be playing against any top European teams, but with our squad he wasn’t likely to see many of those either (Group stage isn’t really against top teams this year, and we basically get 2 or 4 games in knockout rounds when we “might” face a top team and he… Read more »
We’ll see won’t we. My point remains that people would be up in arms if we signed a Bournemouth midfielder. Its a big step down because of the level of football he’ll be playing and low expectation. He’s basically taken the comfort zone and i fear he’ll regress as a player.
You must just be here to have a wind up. Its really not a massive step down in quality he still playing in the prem against the same teams BUT getting MORE game time. And arsenal fans wouldnt be unhappy about signing a bournemouth player if it was someone of jacks quality. You need to get your head around the name of the club. If he went on loan last season to leicester ……
Plus I have made this point before but less expectation is great for a player who is trying to play back into fitness. He cant go out and play 110 percent after basically two seasons without playing much. He will just keep getting injured. He needs to be able to slowly build his fitness and the trust in himself before he starts worrying about being a world class player.
What the fuck are you on about ‘Bournemouth midfielder’ for? Monstrous leap of logic there. Bournemouth are quite liking having an Arsenal midfielder, by the sound of it. He’s getting game time and match fitness at Bournemouth, The location of the loan is not the barometer of his quality level. He also went there with the familiar face in Benik Afobe in mind. If it were a purchase situation, I can’t imagine it’d be there. If every player sent on loan somehow magically became imbued with the quality level of that loan club, well I guess that would dash the… Read more »
Exactly, I was about to ask a similar question, his performance are going to have to be pretty special but he obviously has the added benefit of being an Arsenal player already. But as you say, what quality of performance would a 24/25 year old Bournemouth player have to put week in week out to justify playing for The Arsenal? This is a big gamble for him in my opinion because anything but a stellar season might get him labelled as a mid table player in the mould of a Scott Parker. It’s shown either some big balls on his… Read more »
Yes, and what quality performances would a 27/28 year old at (La Liga strugglers) Deportivo have to put in week in week out to justify playing for The Arsenal? Or a 20 year old playing at relegated-from-the-Championship Bolton? This is honestly one of the dumbest “arguments” I can imagine on this topic. Disapprove of the loan move all you want, think that it’s a bad decision for club and/or player (I think it’s bad for the club, not sure about whether it’s bad for Jack). But the idea that playing at Bournemouth for a year on loan will suddenly make… Read more »
It’s not really one of the dumbest arguments is it because you answer your own question. Clearly 17 goals for a 27 year old in a team struggling in La Liga is exceptional (especially when ranked against our own top scorer who’s 29 got 16 in a team that finished 2nd), and so is being the player of the year at 20 in the championship.
So you prove my argument through your own stupidity, and that is it’s going to have to be exceptional.
Except that (a) Wenger knows his quality, having worked with him since he was a teenager, and he’s still an Arsenal player, so it’s hardly like he’s having to catch the eye of a top manager, and prove his quality to them from scratch, a la Lucas and Holding; and (b) if “exceptional” means standing out in a weaker side by demonstrating you’re clearly top quality (i.e. good enough to play regularly for a CL-qualifying side) on a consistent basis, then why shouldn’t a fit Wilshere be able to do that this this year? He doesn’t have to be PFA… Read more »
All i’ve read there is a lot of if’s, but’s and why, why, why’s and i don’t necessarily disagree with any of them but due to the overly defensive nature of your response i suggest you haven’t read correctly what i’ve written. It’s totally possible within the framework of what i’ve written that Wilshere can be the best midfielder in the country this season and come back next and walk straight into the side. All i’m saying is that it’s a big gamble because as things stand we wouldn’t want a single Bournemouth player and given that he’s been out… Read more »
And Wenger bought Lucas and Holding from smaller clubs exactly because they did stand out amongst their teammates so reputation by association certainly does play a part if that doesn’t happen.
I don’t understand what’s dumb about thinking a player taking a step down might actually become less of a player. Players can get better and worse and surroundings affect that as much as anything. Dumb is to assume that players are robots who cant improve or decline. My original point was really that Bournemouth is hardly a place to force his way into the starting midfield of a Champions League club. Its a massive step-down and i fear the end of his Arsenal career.
What journalists and wankers who support the wrong team label him means nothing. If Wenger is happy with what he sees then when he returns he’ll be a part of the squad. It’s what Wenger thinks, and ONLY what Wenger thinks, that matters (unless Wenger decides to retire at the end of the season, and if that happens then it serves Wilshire right. He surely can’t have failed to take that into account… unless he knows something we don’t.)
What people label him isn’t important, what’s important is that he proves himself to be a higher quality than his new team mates at Bournemouth otherwise what’s the difference between him and Harry Arter or Junior Stanislas?
Nothing is the answer which is exactly why it’s a gamble because we wouldn’t want either
Not often we agree John C, but you’re spot on on this.
Come on, when has Wenger ever let a 24 year old go out for a whole season and had them in mind as a starter in the first team? I cant believe that people are so biased on Wilshere not to see that it’s the first nail in his coffin. If he was so important he’d never be let go. He’d have got plenty of football with us and played in the first two games so the idea of it being about him getting games is bollocks.
Unfortunately Gus some people can’t grasp the idea that 2 years of injury can potentially make a player inferior.
I would imagine Xhaka, Cazorla, Ramsey, Elneny, Coq, Wilshere all want a starting spot so even if Wilshere has an amazing season and comes back, SOMEONES not gonna be happy.
In FM I rotate the hell out of my team.
Although not visible in his game, Santi’s getting old and we’ll need someone to fill in the gap that remains when he leaves, with Jack an obvious candidate.
…and do any of your players complain?
Surely he’s a natural replacement for Santi once he goes back to Spain?
Technically very deft and gifted, good vision, has a footballing brain and can change the flow of a game with a single pass.
You have Sean the future my friend. Let’s hope we sink Southampton 5-0.
I haven’t seen enough in the last three seasons to suggest he’s good enough to step in for Santi. That Manchester City away performance is the benchmark, hopefully he gets there.
Absolutely loved Santi in that game. He was commanding, confident and calm.
Himself and Coquelin absolutely bossed the midfield that day, I’ll never forget it and will always see it as a benchmark performance.
I would love him to be sold. He is permanently crocked, not worth the cost. I also really dislike his laddish personality.
He can’t really help that, he’s a bit of a lad.
His name’s Jack for fucksake.
Who promoted you to Arbiter of Taste and Decorum ?
I’m not sure about it all, think he’s just trying to get a premium fee, said this not to long ago too. “I want to keep Serge Gnabry, and to extend his contract. Because I think we stood by him for a long time.” That ended well.
Exactly this. Wenger doesn’t let players in their mid-20s go out on season long loans unless he’s open to them being gone longer-term. My gut instinct is that he was only loaned Jack because Wenger might leave next summer and we’d rather let the new guy choose what he does with him.
People forget we done a similar thing with Ramsey when he come back from his broken leg. Soon after he got possessed by someone/something when he was banging them in every other week. Hopefully Wilshere just sticks to basics. Doesn’t try and work too too hard, dribble dangerously and doesn’t go in for them 40/60s
We didn’t do the same thing. We loaned Ramsey for one month when he was much younger, not for a whole year at the age of 24. There’s a big difference.
Injuries are injuries whatever age you are, and one month loans are no longer allowed. Different times, different approaches. Wenger let him have his way for reasons known only to himself, so until we see the results it’s all just speculation. I’m just hoping Eddie Howe will find a way to stop Wilshire going hell for leather into stupid situations where he’s sure to get scythed down.
Will be very interesting to watch the progress of Aaron and Jack in parallel this season. I feel that how they do, both performance wise as well as being injury-free, will have huge consequences for the future of our midfield. Right now Ramsey isn’t even a starter, but if he can establish himself alongside Xhaka than the CM issue might be solved for good. Another possibility, however, is that Ramsey keeps on getting injured while Jack is flying at Bournemouth and then come back and establish himself with Xhaka. And do we really have to outline the third option…both of… Read more »
Ramsey played 40 games last season which isn’t at all bad for someone who covers as many yards as he does.
I just don’t see him coming back from this loan spell an Arsenal player. I think he should have stayed, fought for his place and got games here. We all know we’ll have some injuries and he’d be playing with better players. The England squad dropping appears to have made his mind up.
Or could it mean that Eddie howe is coming here next season and jack has been given the task of helping the transition with key instructions from Mr Wenger. Lol…my mind!
My guess, he will be injured by November and be out till the summer. When you are a glass cannon like Wilshere or Diaby etc, then you really should not try to build a career in the most physical league in the world with the toughest fixture list around.
If I was Jack I would try to go Spain or France maybe where you get more time between games and a winter break and the game is more technical and less physical.
Absolutely! He’s our boy, and very best of luck goes out for him… Even if he rolls spliff sometimes…
Dont care how much he will get injured (of course i care) in the rest of his career. He would still be a part of my arsenal squad. Shere willpower. His a living legend already.
Made sense from the iff and ive never been worried abiut jacks future. I understand people thnk it shows a lack of fight bit its not the case. Jack couldnt compete at arsenal because when he gets a chance to play he plays 110 percent and gets re injured. Je needs a less pressured environment so he can get away with playing at 90 percent for some games without being benched. Jack at 80 percent is bettwr than any bournemouth player and so he wo t get benched.
For Christmas, you need to ask for a keyboard that works. Or better fingers.
Oog, tthats juss bein flickin inslutinh.
Go back and watch Jack in the famous Barcelona game. He’s very efficient on the ball – a few touches, and he moves it on. Passing is quick and incisive, rarely gets caught in possession. Gets back in defensive position quickly. Watch him now, and it’s almost a different player. Slow on the ball and holds it too long, seems to always try to take on an extra player or 3. Frequently out of position, always good for at least one idiotic challenge per game. Seems to me like he’s internalized all the hype and let it affect the way… Read more »
Or he hasn’t played a ouch games to get back to that level of form?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/sep/08/jack-wilshere-bournemouth-arsenal-eddie-howe
Great anecdote about his loan spell at Bolton here. Hoping I get to see him back at Arsenal in the future, one of my favourite players.