What does the future hold for Jack Wilshere?

Arsenal have had a great start to the summer transfer window, securing the signings of Bosnian full-back Sead Kolasinac, and French striker Alexandre Lacazette. Naturally, when players are brought in more often than not players have to be sold. If reports from the Daily Mail and Metro are to be believed, one such player facing the axe is Jack Wilshere.

Wilshere was one of the most exciting prospects to come out the of the Arsenal academy this turn of the millennium and when he got his chance in the first team he made sure to show the world what he was capable of. Fans will always remember the game against Barcelona in 2011 when he single-handedly shut down the likes of Xavi and Iniesta while being the orchestrator of sweeping moves going forward. Fast forward six years and the future does not look as bright for Wilshere.

Fans will be divided as to what Arsenal should do with Wilshere. Some may feel that he deserves to stay and fight for his place in the team, while others may feel that it is time to move on for the England international. Wilshere himself has loyal fans due to the fact that he is Arsenal through and through. In the past, Wenger has always been vocal about his support for Wilshere.

Will he? Won’t he?

Will Wilshere be able to break through an already overcrowded midfield?

According to Goal.com, Arsenal legend Martin Keown stated that he believes Wilshere will “certainly” receive a new contract because Wenger is a huge fan of the player but as mentioned before recent reports suggest otherwise. The England international is already missing the pre-season preparations due to an injury he sustained while on loan at Bournemouth, while his midfield competitors are staking their claims for a starting spot.

Injuries have more or less brought Wilshere’s career to a standstill. And Arsenal’s depth in the middle of the park makes Wilshere’s task of breaking into the first team even harder. The Gunners have Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and when fit, Santi Cazorla for two starting spots in midfield. Towards the end of last season when Wenger unleashed the new formation of the back-three, Ramsey and Xhaka flourished in the middle, orchestrating attacks and acting as a shield for the back three.

The fact that Wilshere has not even trained in the new system makes it hard to see how he could dislodge Ramsey or Xhaka for a place in the starting line-up. Even if one of them were to face a loss in form or pick up an injury Wilshere would not get the automatic call up because both El Neny and Coquelin have been around the system longer and have shown they are more than capable of filling in.

Better for Wilshere to leave?

Jack Wilshere might need to move away The Emirates to get his international career back on track

Furthermore, Wilshere will have an eye on the World Cup in 2018 and to stay back at Arsenal would mean that he has no guarantee of playing time. Without regular playing time, it would be near impossible for the 25-year-old to travel to Russia. Wilshere will know in the back of his head that even though his heart may desire to stay and fight for his place at his beloved club, the reality is that he needs to play week in week out and Arsenal cannot guarantee him that.

There is no doubt that many around the footballing world still believe that Wilshere is a special talent and may yet live up to his initial potential but for a club like Arsenal who themselves face an uphill battle to restore the club to its former glory, Wilshere might just seem a luxury they can’t afford at the moment.

Arsenal may also need the wages to renew the contracts of influential players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, both of whom have made it clear that they desire a substantial pay rise. In order to meet the demands, the Londoners might have to sell players who haven’t been involved in the recent set-up such as Callum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy. They have already parted ways with Wojciech Szczesny and Wilshere might be next.

Clubs have been interested in the singing the Englishman, with Italian side Sampdoria showing interest in the player. There have also been reports of interest from Crystal Palace, and this window’s big spenders AC Milan.

Many, including myself, will be sad to see him go (if he goes) but in the end, the management team has to do what is best for the club as a whole and from the look of things it seems that Wilshere’s time at Arsenal may be up.

What do you guys think? Should Wilshere stay or go, would love to hear your comments!