Jack Wilshere‘s Arsenal career is over but if he can cope with the feeling of rejection then there is still time for him to bounce back, writes Adam Bate.
It has been a chastening few weeks for Jack Wilshere. First there was the omission from Gareth Southgate’s England squad, a decision about which he has made no secret of his annoyance. Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek played fewer games for their clubs last season but they were still preferred. Southgate simply thought they were better options.
Then came the meeting with new Arsenal head coach Unai Emery. Wilshere had already accepted reduced terms to stay at the club where he has made so many memories and won so many admirers over the past 17 years. There would be no transfer fee for Arsenal. But there would not be much football either. Emery just wasn’t that keen, Wilshere explained.
“Following a number of extensive conversations with those at the club, and in particular a recent meeting with the new manager Unai Emery, I felt that I was ultimately left with little choice but to make the decision that I have due to purely footballing reasons. It was made clear to me that my playing time would be significantly reduced should I decide to stay.”
