Jack Wilshere has been at Arsenal since he was five years old and, like Carl Jenkinson, he is an out and out Gooner. But he finally realised last summer that he was never going to get regular playing time in this camapaign at the Emirates, after missing nearly all of last season through injury and with the increased competition in the Gunners midfield.
But now he has had half a season of staying fit and playing regularly at Bournemouth, and was given the Man Of The Match award this weekend when the Cherries came back for a 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough. The final goal was scored by his old team-mate Benik Afobe, who also left Arsenal to get regular playing time, and the striker thinks that Jack would not be happy going back to sitting on the bench.
“To be honest I don’t think even he knows what he is going to be doing,” Afobe said. “We have convos all the time and he just wants to play week in week out and take it month by month and see what happens at the end of the season.
“The main thing for him is about getting his confidence back and staying injury free.”
“Once you get your confidence again, you want to be playing week in, week out. You want the games to be coming every two or three days and I think that is how he feels at the moment.”
So even if Jack does manage to get through the whole season without injury and considers whether to come back to Arsenal or not, he will be looking at the array of talent he will have to compete with for a midfield spot at the Emirates. Do you think that he will believe he will be playing week in, week out, if he comes back to Arsenal?
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Suddenly, Wilshere no longer have injury problems anymore. He has been playing week in week out for Bournemouth. As soon as he returns to Arsenal, you will be hearing injuries…Do we really need players like Wilshere???
Next season, I expect Cazorla to continue as our Top CM. He was this season before he got injured so no reason why he can’t next season.
That said we must keep Wilshere next season. I place him higher than Ramsey.
CM (b2b & DM) In this order of quality
Cazorla
Coquelin
Xhaka
Wilshere
Ramsey
Eleny
Personally, I would sell Ramsey and get another top quality DM as we have plenty of b2b (Ox can play there too) But Wenger will will never do that. I’m not too crazy about Eleny either but hopefully he will improve
@A_Girl
Ramsey always looks like he wants to be somewhere else. I think after his good show of form at the Euro’s, he was hoping to get offers from some teams, but didn’t. So now he’s content to just pickin up a paycheck at AFC…
Scroll back to the beginning of the season where I have said that Wilshere chose the worst for him but also for Arsenal. Whoever thinks he will improve at Bournemouth is just deluded as John Moss is. Wilshere would have started regularly the second Cazorla was deemed unfit. Right now we have just two centre midfielders : Ramsey and Coquelin. This pair cost us the title last season. Luckily Wenger stumbled upon Coqzorla duo which carried us so far. But we don’t have this right now and we are back to square one. Ramsey and Coquelin in a 4231 system is death at Southampton and Stamford Bridge. They simply don’t click, more precisely, Ramsey does not stay deep for the life of him. If I was Wenger (and I am not) I would call for a flexible 433 with Iwobi in front of Ramsey and Coquelin, Ozil on the right, Welbeck on left and Sanchez in front. If Wenger will play 4231 at Southampton you will all know he lost the plot. Myself, I know that tactically he’s lost it (no matter how much respect I have for the man Wenger) and he’s easily undone if players have an off day. I don’t see how can we win the game at the bridge. Hope for a draw but even that is a far fetch at this point. That just because Xhaka has $hits instead of brains. I would bench him for the whole season just so he learns. Not even sending him on loan. Can’t believe this guy.
Damn man.. I used to rate you as a level headed commenter. But these ‘if Wenger doesn’t tactically change to the way I want it we’re doomed’ comments are utterly ridiculous.
For years people were crying out for midfielders with ‘steel’ like Vieira and old school types and then our new signing cops a few reds in games we scraped through and haven’t dropped points and you’re calling for drastic measures? What are you on about?
And Wilshire won’t improve at Bournemouth? Highly doubt you’ve watched their games… he’s a big fish in a small pond who they literally run all their play through against the same opposition we play week in/week out. Getting man of the match’s like it’s going out of fashion, aggressive dribbling and passing that made him such an exciting player to begin with.. what possible logic could you put forward that this isn’t beneficial for him as a player?
I am sorry but my gripe with 4231 has a long story on this site and I have the literature to prove it. We don’t even have the striker to sit in front of the 3, yeah Giroud but what did we got out of it? Like goals per game in the last 5 seasons?
Incidentally I watched few games with Wilshere in the team and except the game at Chelsea where he had a solid performance I didn’t see how he really punched a hole in the sky.
Mark my words: until March we will not find any form under the current system, 13 years of doing the same are more than enough statistics. They don’t lie.
The best that could happen is me to be totally wrong and come here an praise Wenger. How about that?
Our midfield is at the moment short of personne for cover and optionl as only Ramsey and Coquelin are the two specialist midfielderds that will be available to play against Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup at ST Mary’s for a fifth round birth in the competition. I has notched this shortage of true midfield personnel currently experienced at the Arsenal’s midfield position could happen. And I had hope Le Prof would’ve brought in another top quality midfielder to reinforced his midfield options. But he hasn’t done so
As the Gunners will be playing a big FA Cup game against Southampton away at ST Mary’s on Saturday, the only Coquelin/Ramsey base axis Gunners left now for Arsenal to play at the Arsenal’s midfield base on Saturday must hold themselves intact so as not to fall into any injury problem before Xhaka and Elneny returned back into the team from suspension and afcon commitment despite Chamberlain could be drafted to the midfield base to play there in the interim.
With the quality of the senior Gunners available now for selection to play this Southampton FA Cup match, I cannot see anything contrary to an Arsenal victory over Southampton in this FA Cup match
Talking of Jack Wilshere, Le Prof has made it categorically cleared in one his press conferences he had that, Jack Wilshere will be given a contract extension when the time to do that comes as Wilshere still has 18 months left to run on his current deal at Arsenal. So, there should be any urgency for Jack Wilshere to extend his contract deal at Arsenal now IMO. All Jack has to do now is for him to keep improving on the quality of his game at Bournemouth and try by all means to stay injury free throughout this season to enhance his chances of playing regular for Arsenal next season for, competition for places at Arsenal is always though to secure by the underperforming.
We heard you the first time, no need to write it three times but anyway, your starting premises are wrong. How do you know Wilshere wants an Arsenal contract extension? Given the circumstances he left on loan I am very inclined to believe we have seen the last of Jack in an Arsenal jersey. One thing it exposes is the fact that someone suggested we may have inserted a secret clause in his loan so that we can call him anytime we want. Well, now would be the perfect time, isn’t it?
Regarding buying YET ANOTHER CM, may i remind you that we started the season with Cazorla, Ramsey, Xhaka, Elneny and Coquelin. While we knew Elneny will have to attend Africa Cup, we still had replacements, double. You will notice I don’t add Ozil to this list as he’s not the same mould as the aforementioned lot.
Personally, my optimism all drained out for FA Cup and the game at Stamford Bridge. And let us not forget Watford, shall we?
We must finally choose between Wilshere and Ramsey. One has to go.
why can’t they both go?
I actually think Wilshere is going to be sold, many keep saying Wenger will have to make a decision on Ramsay and Wilshere, but i think that was already made when he sent Wilshere on loan, proving Ramsay is His favorite prodigal son, Wenger tends to play Ramsay even if he is a liability to the team, until he finds some form to justify his place in the starting 11.
i would actually sell both, it may be unlikely to happen, i actually believe there are better midfielders out there who could provide the team with more punch, i think Wenger has put in their head that they are god’s gift to football, when in reality they have not move up a level. i think he has began to realised he has wasted too much time hoping for them to produce the goods, thereby carrying in Elneny and Xhaka both are gradually getting better.
These are just my thoughts on the subject and have felt Wenger have been safe guarding midfield position for both wilshere and ramsay, when both do not deserve it