As we all know Arsene Wenger is a stickler when it comes to honouring contracts and he has already forced Alexis Sanchez to stay at Arsenal for the last year on his current deal, so he is not going to be happy if any of his players ask if they can be released simply because there is a World Cup on the horizon.
Olivier Groud has been told by the France boss Didier Deschamps that he should leave Arsenal and play regular first team football elsewhere if he wants to remain as first choice striker for his country at the World Cup, and the Frenchman has been strongly linked with a move away from the club this January.
But for Jack Wilshere it is even worse as he has been told by Gareth Southgate that he does not just need to be playing in the first time, but he has to be playing as a defensive midfielder as well, which is not Wenger’s idea of his best position.
But Jack has actually agreed with Southgate, he said: “If Gareth sees me in that position, I have to play in that position,”
“To be honest, that is probably my favourite position. I can see where he is coming from. I enjoy playing there. At the moment, I’m playing a bit higher here.
“I’ve said before that I want to stay here and play. I don’t have to say how much this club means to me.
“But at the same time as well, the boss has got to be honest with me and I’m sure he will.”
These comments have fuelled the rumours that Jack wants to move in January as well, as he is firmly entrenched in Arsenal’s Europa League side with little chance of being a regular EPL starter, but now Wenger has made it clear that he will not be making any transfer decisions based on individual players’ World Cup dreams. Le Prof said: ‘I want to keep the squad. We qualified now for the Europa League and that means we do not want to reduce the squad. We have the League Cup, still we are in it.
‘The FA Cup still to come, the Europa League to come, we have the Premier League where we have a big fight to be in the top four. You do not want to become weaker.
‘I have to consider the interest of the player but dominant of that will be the interests of the club and if you can combine the two it is even better but first is what is important for the club.
‘They have to make their decisions, I have to make mine. I cannot consider too much the interest of the national team.’
And of course Wenger is right. He wouldn’t be doing his job properly if he lets players dictate where they want to go, or what position they want to play in. I am certain that the Boss will point to their contracts and tell show them their signatures on them.
“You pays your money, you makes your choice”
Who agrees that Wenger is right?
Darren N