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Jack Wilshere’s 17-year spell at Arsenal has finally come to an end and his departure heralds the start of a brave new era for the club. Many fans are sad to see him go, as he is a supremely talented midfielder and his battling qualities were always endearing. But axing Wilshere is a bold move for Arsenal as they set about rebuilding in the wake of Arsene Wenger’s departure. Unai Emery has an opportunity to overhaul the team’s philosophy and bring in tougher players that can press hard and intimidate rivals with their physicality, and Wilshere was deemed surplus to requirements.
Wilshere was once regarded as the future of the club, a captain in waiting and a superstar midfielder to lead Arsenal to silverware. Letting him leave on a free transfer seemed inconceivable, as an elite club would have snapped him up in a heartbeat. After all, this was the player that outshone Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets when Arsenal played Barcelona. A man that brought flair and grace to the England midfield whenever he was called upon. But in many ways, Wilshere came to embody the second half of Wenger’s tenure: technically adept, but lightweight, injury prone and inconsistent.
Emery offered him a new deal, but could not guarantee him a starting berth and that is fair enough. Wilshere is not in the England squad at the World Cup and he is no longer good enough to walk into a team that harbours hopes of finishing in the top four in the Premier League. It is telling that the likes of Man City and Liverpool have shown no interest in adding him to their ranks. Instead he looks likely to head to Fenerbache and ply his trade in the Turkish backwaters, while Everton and West Ham are interested in keeping him in England.
“I am willing to go abroad if the right opportunity comes up. Also, everyone knows I like the Premier League and the battle of it,” said Wilshere. “It is literally the best thing that comes up and the best opportunity that we will take. I am not really in any rush. We are looking at things and I am keeping myself fit. So if something does come up I am ready to go.”
That does not sound like a man looking forward to choosing between elite clubs. Fans will surely wish Wilshere well, and he should be held in similar affection to Olivier Giroud, rather than becoming a villain like Robin van Persie or Ashley Cole. But Arsenal need to change in order to break back into the top four, and the departures of Wilshere and Santi Cazorla free up room in the wage bill to bring in midfielders that are more in line with the hard pressing, physical game that Emery wants to play.
If you read reviews of betting sites and find odds at the best bookmakers on the market, you will see that the Gunners are outsiders to finish in the top four, with Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham enjoying much shorter odds. Emery has a lot of ground to make up, as Arsenal regressed during the final two years of Wenger’s reign. The club has already set about shoring up the defence, bringing in Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, and Bernd Leno will provide strong competition for Petr Cech. Arsenal’s attack already looks formidable, but it is time to rebuild the midfield. They have been heavily linked with Lucas Torreira and he showed how effective he can be when starring for Uruguay as they beat Portugal in the World Cup last 16 this week, throwing himself into tackles and fighting hard in the middle of the park. Players like this are needed to keep pace with the likes of Liverpool and Spurs in this new Premier League era, and fans should be encouraged by the club’s commitment to changing the philosophy and becoming more competitive.
