Jack Wilshere has reportedly rejected advances made by Birmingham City on transfer deadline day, in an attempt to continue with the Gunners.
According to a report by The Sun, Jack Wilshere rejected an offer from Birmingham City on deadline day since he is believed to be keen on fighting for his place at Arsenal. The injury-prone midfielder was targeted by Harry Redknapp for a while, and the former Spurs boss even offered him £90,000-a-week but Wilshere was unwilling to drop down at this point.
Wilshere suffered a major setback as regards to his Arsenal future after a hairline fracture ended his campaign with Bournemouth prematurely. The Englishman has been struggling with recovery and was hence, ruled out of the Gunners’ pre-season tour this summer.
Arsenal did offer Wilshere several chances to prove himself but his constant injuries have never allowed him to truly flourish. That seemed to have changed at the beginning of last season as he finally managed to make a mark after years of suffering from injuries at crucial points which hampered his potential.
The time that he spent at Bournemouth proved to be quite fruitful for the 25-year-old. He was at his resurgent best and appeared for the Cherries in almost all matches except the ones they played against Arsenal. In fact, he did particularly well at the centre of Bournemouth’s attacking moves and linked defence with attack effortlessly.
He does have a special quality with the ball since he can dribble as a holding midfielder to attack central defenders. He has the required quality to keep passing and then immediately destroy the defensive structures. Clearly, Wilshere does not lack talent and that explains Birmingham’s interest in him despite him suffering from an injury.
The fact that the midfielder has chosen to stay back with the Gunners actually seems like a gutsy move. A transfer to Birmigham could have actually benefited him since he would have had the scope to experiment and secure regular playing time there.
Arsenal were subjected to a humiliating campaign last term and Arsene Wenger is aware of the fact that he needs players with proven skills and unfortunately cannot afford the luxury of retaining players in hopes that they will do well in their own time.
However, Arsenal could not procure players like Mario Lemina and Thomas Lemar, who were being eyed particularly to help the midfield situation. Thus, this seems like the opportune moment for Wilshere to launch an attempt to stage a comeback. But, given his state of injuries, it remains to be seen how successful he is.