According to many, Arsenal’s decision to send star midfielder Jack Wilshere on loan to Bournemouth was Arsene Wenger’s way of suggesting that he might not have a long-term future at the club. With competition for the starting spot increasing with the arrival of Granit Xhaka and the emergence of Francis Coquelin, Wilshere, who had made just 19 premier league appearances since the start of the 2013-14 campaign would find first team football hard to come by at the club he joined as a kid.
However, Arsene Wenger has quashed any rumours linking the talented midfielder away from The Emirates stadium by suggesting that he is ready to offer him a new deal in December.
Speaking to The Mirror, the French man said “I always try to combine the interests of the club and the interests of the player. In this case that’s what I have tried to do.
“Sometimes it doesn’t always come out as you want it to. But he is a real Arsenal man as well. He can be a captain here. I want him to extend (his contract), yes. I think that will happen around December.
“I let him go for health reasons. But he is an ambitious guy. We have all been his age and wanted to play football but we didn’t have his talent.
“You imagine what he must feel like when he cannot play with everything he can do. It is very frustrating. What is at stake for him, is just playing.
“He is not yet completely at his physical level. If you look at the number of games he has played recently in the last six months, you cannot be at the competitive level he wants to be.
“He’s a world-class player and he doesn’t have to show me that he has the quality to play at Bournemouth, just that he comes back to a regular competitive level.
“If he plays, he will play really well because he cannot play badly. What you want more than anything is for a player with his talent to play.
“In a selfish way, you want him to play for your club but there is a bigger perspective, you want him to play and express his talent.”
After making a bright start to his footballing career, Wilshere has lost his way due to numerous injuries and the move to Bournemouth is expected to provide him with the much-needed game time. While his decision to join the Cherries drew a lot of surprised reactions from the fans and pundits alike, Eddie Howe’s possession based tactics fit in perfectly with the English international’ abilities.