Arsenal Set to Offer Wilshere New Bumper Contract, But Does He Deserve It? by AT
Amidst reports of a potential £30 million bid that will come in from Manchester City for the Arsenal star Jack Wilshere, The Telegraph is now suggesting that Arsenal are ready to offer a new long-term deal with wages worth £150k a week to keep the midfielder at the Emirates and ward off interest from the reigning champions.
The story comes with a fair bit of credibility as Arsene Wenger is known to be a great admirer of the Englishman, having overseen his development since he came to the club at just nine years of age. It is no secret that despite Jack’s injury problems and behavioural issues, Wenger has immense faith in the player and is likely to give him every chance to live up to his potential at Arsenal.
But if you’d ask me, I think that it would be a wrong move for the club. The Englishman is already under contract until 2018 and there’s certainly no hurry to tie him down for longer. Now while I do understand Wenger’s desire to keep him, I don’t really understand why a new bumper contract worth £150k a week is necessary, especially considering the fact that his current deal runs for another three years.
Personally, I think any bid upwards of the reported £30 million should be enough for us to sell, as we can invest that amount on quality reinforcements for the next campaign. But if Le Prof is really hell-bent on keeping him, I believe he should wait at least another year to see how he maintains his fitness and gets a grip of his lifestyle before awarding him with a new deal.
Anurag