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Arsenal favourite reveals he was offered chance to leave last summer

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Arsenal face a busy period at the end of the season and a major restructure within the squad is likely to occur, as the Gunners are poised to miss out on a top-four Premier League finish once again.

Changes behind the scenes have already occurred, as Arsenal have appointed Sven Mislintat as head of recruitment and he’s already played a significant role in the captures of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.

The centre of midfield is likely to be an area of Arsenal’s focus in January, as the likelihood of Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla leaving is steadily increasing, and the former has revealed he was given the chance to leave by Arsene Wenger last summer.

Speaking to The Guardianthe 26-year-old England international said:

“It was an honest conversation. It had been boiling up for a while. Everybody knew I had a year left on my deal and had been out on loan, got injured and wasn’t really in his plans. He just said: ‘At the moment we are not going to be offering you a contract so, if you can get one somewhere else, you can go.’”

“Obviously I wasn’t happy with what the manager had said but, at the same time, part of me knew all this already. All I needed was some clarity on where I stood at the football club. He’d said I could fight for my position and, if I performed well in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, I’d have a chance.”

“I had three or four weeks left in the transfer window but I didn’t find anything I wanted and at the same time I wasn’t really fit. So I decided to build up my fitness. I always had confidence I could get back into the midfield, and keep my place, if I was fit.”

Wilshere has made 31 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions this season, helping the Gunners reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

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