Arsenal football club manager, Arsene Wenger believes Jack Wilshere can be the Gunners’ Steven Gerrard if he can prove himself. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder is currently on loan with Bournemouth FC until the end of the season. Wilshere established himself at Arsenal coming through the London club’s youth academy and had been with the club for 15 years.
Bournemouth will face the Gunners at The Emirates on Sunday but will not have the services of Jack Wilshere as Premier League rules don’t allow players to play against their parent club.
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Arsene Wenger has spoken about Wilshere’s future at the club and that he would like to see him remain at the Emirates and develop even further. Wenger believes Wilshere possesses loyalty just like a certain Liverpool legend. “He can show his loyalty, like Steven Gerrard did,’ said Wenger. We want to give Jack a new contract because we believe his will play for Arsenal again, not to protect our value.”
The French manager has also explained the reason behind letting Jack Wilshere leave on loan and that if he picks up his form he would love to have him back at the Emirates playing for Arsenal once again.
“I let him go this season because we bought Granit Xhaka, we have Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsey, and I thought ‘he doesn’t play regularly’ and he wasn’t fit enough to be in the position to start games, so I let him go.
“If Jack comes back to his right level he will play for us,” said the Gunners manager.
Wenger also admitted that it was a risk letting the player go on loan without tying him down to a new contract but stated that he had done it for Wilshere’s own benefit. The Frenchman added that it would be unfair on his part to play Wilshere instead of the many fitter players available in his squad.
“It was a human case, more than a calculated financial case with Jack,” said Wenger.
“He’s been educated here since he was eight or nine years old, he has gone for years through difficult periods where he didn’t play. I felt honestly a guy who has been educated here has another season where he doesn’t play because I don’t give him the chance because I have some players who are fitter than him, it would be unfair. It was not a mathematical decision.”
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The midfielder’s contract will reach its final year with the club after the end of this season and Wilshere could leave on a free transfer in the year 2018. Arsenal certainly will want to tie Wilshere down to a new contract as the player possesses plenty of potential and is only 24 years old.
But Wilshere’s move to the Cherries has so far been good for the English midfielder having made eleven appearances for the south coast club in the Premier League. Wilshere's excellent performance against Stoke City last week also saw him win the Premier League man of the match award.
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