Jack Wilshere has spent most of his life at the club and is Arsenal through and through. Last season he was relatively injury free and played some good football. He was unlucky not to be selected for the England World Cup squad and now has been told that he will not be selected in the match day squad next season, at the club that he loves, despite accepting a financially reduced contract. For me that really stinks.
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| Jack Wilshire, moving to West Ham |
I wasn't always Jack's biggest fan. Apart from a tendency for injuries, his short temper and petulance was always going to prevent him rising to the captaincy, that many saw him destined for. But on his day he could create openings that would change a match and he was a true Arsenal man. In these days of so many football mercenaries, god knows we need a few of those.
If this is typical of the type of decision we can expect from the new manager, Unai Emery, then maybe we have moved in the wrong direction. It may suit some sections of the fans, who believe that football is about constant change. But it is certainly not my idea of a club, which I believe is about construction and development, otherwise we'll all be Chelsea, or Man City.
In the last season and a half Arsenal have disposed of numerous long term players, as well as the coach, whose head so many were screaming for, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin, Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Tomás Rosicky and now Jack Wilshere. OK some of them had reached the end of their careers or there were other good reasons for their departures. But the "Wenger Out" crowd were very fond of saying that one man does not make a club, so how many do? At what point does the club's identity start to disappear?
In the meantime, Arsenal have signed Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen. This is another unusual decision. Is Germany's fourth choice goalkeeper, who didn't make it to the World Cup in Russia, going to be better than Colombia's number one keeper, or one of the most successful keepers in the Premier league?
Admittedly Petr Cech is probably nearing the end of his career and Leno may be coming in as his replacement. But it is going to be difficult to keep all three of them happy and give them enough games.
Jack Wilshere: Arsenal midfielder confirms departure
