Jack Wilshere has been urged to consider his future at Arsenal, with Paul Merson claiming he should reject his current contract offer.
The midfielder started his first Premier League match of the campaign in midweek, coming in for the sidelined Aaron Ramsey, and is believed to be in line for a new deal.
The 26 year-old has suffered a number of setbacks over the years, having previously been hailed as the next World Class star to come out of the Gunners academy, and now finds himself struggling for regular football.
Jack is into the final term of his playing contract, and has been said to be trying to earn a new deal this season, and with talks expected to take place this month, Paul Merson has urged him to consider if a new agreement makes sense, describing his potential signing as ‘laughable’.
“Laughable, in my opinion, he doesn’t play,” Merson said on Sky Sports News this morning.
“He plays one game, starts one game against West Ham and now they’re going to give him a new contract.
“If you’re Jack Wilshere you seriously have to sit down and say ‘right, what do I want to do? Do I want to be a bit-part player for the rest of my career or do I want to go somewhere and play football?’.
“He could sign a contract tomorrow morning and be out the team for another six months.”
“This lad was put out on loan for a year, this is the thing with Arsenal,” he added.
“You’ve got Theo Walcott, they gave him a new contract, but he don’t play.
“I don’t know if Arsene Wenger doesn’t like change and doesn’t like bringing in other players that he doesn’t know but it seems to be he’s more comfortable with the players he knows.
“These players need to ask themselves some serious questions. Do they want to just be a bit-part player? They’re at a great club but they have to play football.
“I think it’s laughable from Arsenal to offer him a new contract when they haven’t even played him.
“The players that play in front of him at the moment are laughable. He must sit there and think ‘how do I not play for Arsenal Football Club with the players that are there?’.”
Does Wilshere need to quit the club for his career? Does he deserve to play more regularly in our side?
Pat J
A better question would be “Should Arsenal offer another contract to Jack Wilshere?” . The answer is a resounding NO.
I agree. I wouldn’t mind keeping him, but only on a pay-as-play deal. Offering him a standard contract would be financial suicide, but then again Arsenal have a habit of doing this with Diaby being a great example of many.
Equally, I wouldn’t be bothered if Jack left, because we’ve already got used to him not being around.
Jack is staying I can assure you. If Walcott who is of significantly less skill and quality has managed to con his way into a 10 year stay at Arsenal then Wilshere should really have no problem convincing the boss he deserves a new contract.
Wilshere is a good player, but does he deserve another contract? Is Wilshere better than Ozil, Cazorla or Ramsey? We could argue all day long. Wilshere needs to prove his fitness and form over an entire season.
What Wilshere has over those others you list is this: Ozil does not want to stay and won’t be here next season. Cazorla will not play a key role ever again and if he ever plays at all is very uncertain, esp at his age and his injury. Ramsey is totally in and out in form and totally frustrating and also , like Jack, injury prone but lacks Jacks creativity and is a different kind of midfielder. So, no one offers a long career to come and has our club in his heart like Wilshere does. To me, it is a no brainer, he MUST be offered a new long term contract. Once Wenger is gone, either at end of this or next season , and we get a manager with tactical nous and who can coach, we have a diamond and still young in Wilshere. Crazy to let him leave, which he does not want either.
I suspect Jack will be offered a new deal if Ozil goes particularly as Carzola may never wear a fist team shirt again.
Cazorla will ready ready to play in 2019 so until then we best sign Wilshere on a pay as you play contract.
In other news arsenal have scored nine away goals all season (X5 of them were against everton) ?
Only 19 points behind city and we haven’t gone past Christmas yet ?
it’s a Shame, because if the league was won on overall ball possession in games and backwards and sideways passes. We’d be absolutely smashing it right now ?
Lol, we are the kings of the pointless pass.
You would be wiser to accept that Cazorla will never again play a significant role in our team. He MAY play a few games, eventually but to rely on him being the player and influence he was, ever again , is fools gold.
How terribly sad…we have fallen so far that we find ourselves in the ridiculous position of propping up the oft-injured and rarely inspirational Jack Wiltshire…what’s next, extending Walcott, Welbeck and Ramsey…can’t you see that these players have nothing to do with winning and all to do with providing recognizable names to the plastic fans who frequent our overgrown library of a stadium…it’s high time we rid this club of one of the worlds most incompetent and unsuccessful owners(look it up) and our fragile and spineless manager(much like our club) who can’t bring in the best talent because he knows he can’t live up to expectations that come with players of that ilk…think about it, he couldn’t even handle Sanchez, who was largely a periphery character in Barcelona