5) Jack Wilshere: Arsenal FC → AFC Bournemouth
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In spite of being a relegation favourite last season, AFC Bournemouth exceeded the critic’s expectations with a respectable 16th placed finish, given the fact that they had just been promoted and are an extremely new club. But with the massive expenditure of many Premier League clubs and the underperformance of clubs last season, Bournemouth needed to have a huge transfer window if they wanted to avoid the drop.
They had a relatively average transfer window up until the last day when they signed Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere on a season-long loan. The midfielder’s career has been plagued by injuries, and such injuries have threatened to prevent Wilshere from every reaching the potential that everyone knows he is capable of.
After a series of injuries and a sub-par Euro 2016, Wilshere’s confidence must be rock bottom. And with Arsenal’s strong midfield comprised of the likes of Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin, Wilshere’s chances of being in the team week in and week out seemed slim. So a loan move, in many ways, was a sensible decision.
Despite offers from big Serie A clubs such as Roma, he chose to stay in the Premier League. Bournemouth, undoubtedly a smaller club, would have given Wilshere plenty of playing time provided he stayed fit, which would have allowed him to progress his career. He would also be among the best players in the club, serving to increase his confidence.
Many think Wilshere should have moved abroad to Roma, however. Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is one to express this opinion. Roma, one of Europe’s biggest clubs, would have given Wilshere experience abroad and surrounded him with quality that would have motivated him to do better. Additionally, many question whether Wilshere would succeed at Bournemouth due to the lack of surrounding quality compared to AS Roma.
