Arsenal should have cashed in on Jack Wilshere instead of loaning him

It looks more and more likely that Jack Wilshere will leave Arsenal on a free transfer.

Jack Wilshere has been a loyal servant to Arsenal during his time with the club. Arriving as a teenager and spending a large portion of his life in North London, it looks likely he will leave.

It’s all come down to the wire and Arsenal think Wilshere’s asking price is too much for a player of his caliber. Arsenal fans have their own contrasting views on this situation, but I take the same stance as the board – he hasn’t warranted this high wage.

Although his talent is undeniable, he has endured a career plagued with injury, and one good season doesn’t make up for his shortcomings. That said, his departure couldn’t have come at a better time, which is weird to say given his age of 26 years old.

He is entering the prime stages of his career, but if his past is anything to judge by, then this isn’t something worth looking forward to.

Ever since his iconic performance against Barcelona as a teenager, he has failed to live up to the hype he set himself. Of course, judging by that performance, it’s hard to materialize into the expectation as a teenager.

His career since that point, since the Xavi comparisons, has been nothing short of lackluster. He has endured several long-term injuries and failed to maintain a solid place in the Arsenal roster.

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This was personified last season when he was sent on loan to AFC Bournemouth. It was a loan nobody expected, but they should have done given the trajectory of his career.

In fairness, the loan move did him a world of good. It snapped him back into reality, and he endured an injury-free season up until the final stages. It was a last-ditch decision by Arsene Wenger, but it seemed to have worked.

This season for Arsenal, he has been back to his best. Frequent appearances early on in the Europa League meant he could push himself back to Arsenal’s Premier League squad, and that he did. He has been good, but nothing overly special.

If Arsenal were to lose the Englishman, then it would mark the beginning of a new era. There are plenty of potential replacements on the market, including Jean Seri and Max Meyer.

These two are risk-free, because it’s not hard to leave a bigger legacy than Wilshere left. His reputation was built on sentimentality and that alone, which was personified when he was left out of England’s World Cup squad in his best season.

Next: Jack Butland will be more hungry than ever this summer

Who do you think should replace Jack Wilshere?

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