Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes Jack Wilshere’s fate was sealed when he joined Bournemouth on a season long loan last summer.
Talking to TalkSport, the ex Aston Villa player believes that if the 25 year old had been part of manager Arsene Wenger’s first team plans, he would have sent the England international out on loan for three months rather than a year:
“I don’t think he was in Wenger’s plans. If you send someone on loan, you send them on loan for three months. If he’d have gone to Bournemouth for three months and set it alight and scored eight goals in three months, then you could call him back. But as soon as he sent him there for a year, he was never playing for Arsenal again.
Multiple reports have suggested that Wilshere will not be offered a new deal, and will be allowed to leave the Emirates before the end of August. He still hasn’t recovered from the broken leg he sustained whilst playing for Bournemouth at the back end of last season.
Wenger does not have a wealth of attacking central midfielders at his disposal, but with Wilshere only having one year left on his contract, the Gunners boss is probably keen on a sale to prevent the player leaving on a free transfer next year.