Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has insisted that Jack Wilshere has nothing to prove in terms of his ability, but just needs to play regularly at Bournemouth to get back to his best.
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After joining the Arsenal academy as a nine-year-old in 2001, midfielder Jack Wilshere has grown from strength to strength at the Emirates.
Nevertheless, the manager made a decision to let the 24-year-old midfielder leave for the season to gain as many minutes as possible on the pitch.
“I couldn’t guarantee that, so that’s why [we took] the decision”.
“At some stage you need competition and I couldn’t guarantee him that”. He doesn’t have to show me he has the quality to play at Bournemouth, he just needs to be back at a competitive level. “He has a real football brain”.
“We had a chat together and he himself was concerned that he would not get enough competition early enough, Wenger said”.
Howe added: “If you had said to me [a few years ago] that we would have the opportunity to sign someone like Jack I would have said it is not possible”.
Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal for two decades, making him the longest-serving manager now in the English Premier League. In football management, you live week to week.
Thus far this season, two substitute appearances against Leicester and Watford saw him play 37 minutes.
Howe’s name has been mentioned as a successor who could be moulded in a way Arsenal want.
“I haven’t decided yet”, he said when asked about playing the new duo.
“But let’s not forget that Ozil can play wide as well”. Personally, I hope he stays here for his whole career.
Wilshere is set to make his debut for Bournemouth against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday (September 11).
According to The Sun, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is being seriously considered to replace Wenger next season.
“I think we would have loved to have held on and got our first win against Crystal Palace (when they were denied by an injury-time equaliser) but it wasn’t to be”.
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“He is doing a wonderful job at Bournemouth and he could be a manager in the future for Arsenal, but I think it is a little bit too soon for him at the moment”.
