Arsene Wenger managed to spend big this summer and got the names like Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi to add to his squad but he was also keen on letting go of a number of players from the squad. One such player who made an interesting loan move away from the team is England international Jack Wilshere. The 24-year old was ought to be the next big thing in English football a couple of years ago but he has not been able to keep up his form for the club and country and fell out of favour at the Emirates late last season.
He was then loaned out to Premier League outfit Bournemouth who are happy to start him regularly this season but does he have a place in this Arsenal squad now? That is the big question now, as the Gunners now have some stellar names in midfield.
Having impressed many in his Champions League outing against Barcelona as a teenager in 2011, Jack Wilshere was not able to settle into the Arsenal lineup, playing in a deep-lying midfielders role. Wilshere, who was once considered as a ‘Golden Boy’ of Arsenal, is a player who loves to have the ball at his feet as his exemplary vision and ability with the ball allow him to dictate play in front of the back-4. He can find his man with consistent accuracy and is a player who is not fazed by the occasion. However, his lack of defensive awareness along with his love for erratic tackles saw Wenger send him out on loan. Currently at Bournemouth, Wilshere is playing a similar role for Eddie Howe in the squad and has produced a couple of decent performances this season.
Arsene Wenger spent early on Grant Xhaka as it was clear that he needed a midfield anchor to play as a pivot for the side. Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Mohamed Elneny are all playing similar roles for the side when needed and this has left Wilshere with a plenty of competition for his place at the Emirates.
At 24, Wilshere has plenty of time to improve on his game and if he can improve on his defensive part of the game, he will be a true match winner. Though there are calls for playing him in a more advanced role, it is hard to see him constantly create and score goal leaving the defensive midfield area as his best position. He will get enough chances to prove himself at an exciting club like Bournemouth and if he can show a bit of an improvement from his game in the last few seasons for Arsenal, he will definitely have his place in the side for Wenger. Especially with the likes of Santi Cazorla linked with a move away from the club.
Wenger is a manager who has his own requirements and it is understood that the Spanish international, who is in the last year of his contract with the club, might leave the Emirates at the end of the season. This will leave the manager with another void to fill in the midfield and Wilshere is a player who has the first rights on that place. All he will have to do is show Wenger that he has learnt from his mistakes and that he is ready to learn.
Do you think Wilshere has a place at Arsenal for years to come?
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