Jack Wilshere has claimed that he owes his Arsenal career to Arsene Wenger, claiming he wouldn’t have got the same chances under another coach.
The Frenchman told fans he was going to leave our club after 22 years in April 2018, and has so far turned down any offers to manage elsewhere.
Wenger’s departure was followed by Jack Wilshere, who left on a free transfer to join West Ham, and the English midfielder has praised the role of his former boss in his playing career.
‘He [Wenger] was always so good with me. He made me feel like I was important,’ Wilshere said.
‘Without him I don’t think my Arsenal career would have went the way that it did and I don’t think I would have got the opportunities that I did.
‘One thing I always felt from him was that he respected me and he really rated me as a player, he knew my ability and I felt that from him. To have that trust from a manager, you can’t beat that feeling where going into a game you have confidence.
‘If you have an off game you know he’s gonna stick by you, he’s gonna back you. Over the years I felt that and that was so important to me and that is and why I respect him so much and I thank him for everything.’
Wenger also had a huge influence in bringing a number of youth products through into the first team, with Aaron Ramsey, Hector Bellerin and Cesc Fabregas the most high-profile names to breakthrough from the academy over the years.
I believe that Jack would likely have departed the club regardless of the manager in charge, after a number of injuries hampered his playing time all-too often, but I don’t personally believe that Ramsey would have quit the club under the Frenchman’s leadership.
Would Jack have signed a new deal with Arsenal if Wenger stayed on? Can Arteta continue the legacy of blooding youngsters in from the academy?
Patrick
I feel so sorry for Patrick, writing all these articles without a single post or at best very few. Perhaps a change of style Patrick, without ALWAYS ending your articles by posing two questions that no one seems to wish to answer? But your main problem is that the articles themselves so often concentrate on things not relevant to Arsenal right now. Why not look to the future rather than always back? Widen your scope perhaps? Genuinely trying to help and hope you accept that!