Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he wants to offer Jack Wilshere a new contract, stating once again that the midfielder has a future at Arsenal.
Wilshere joined Bournemouth on loan in the summer to continue his recovery with regular Premier League football.
The signings of Granit Xhaka and the January signing of Mohamed Elneny meant that Arsenal were well stocked in midfield, and given Wilshere’s injury problems, it was difficult to see how he would break into the Arsenal first team.
Wilshere admitted last month that he was unsure about his future at Arsenal, insisting that he was only focused on Bournemouth at the moment.
However, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who previously said that Wilshere can still fulfil his destiny of becoming Arsenal captain, has once again insisted that it is his wish for Wilshere to come back to Arsenal if all goes well.
According to The Mirror, Wenger had this to say about the midfielder’s potential contract extension:
“I can assure you talks over any contract are always difficult and with Jack they are always difficult.
“My feeling is I want him back. He always said he is an Arsenal man. If you only think about yourself then you go where you like to be. The word loyalty isn’t even the right word. He always said he was an Arsenal man.
“It was a human case (to let him go on loan), then a calculated financial case. If Jack comes back to his right level he will play for us.”
Wilshere was linked with a host of teams in the summer, including Roma and AC Milan, but was eventually convinced by Eddie Howe to join Bournemouth instead. The England international’s injury problems are well documented — he only managed to make three appearances last season with Arsenal.
Since his debut in 2008, Wilshere has only once appeared more than 30 times in an entire season.
The hope is that the midfielder will manage to get a full season under his belt and put his injury woes behind him, and things currently look to be improving on that front as he has already made 9 appearances for Eddie Howe’s side this season.
Arsene Wenger will be keen to tie down the midfielder before the season is over, however, as Wilshere’s current contract runs until 2018 and Arsenal will likely be forced to sell the midfielder if he refuses to extend his contract, or risk losing him for free.
