Arsenal: Jack Wilshere, Not Xhaka, Should Be Future

Arsenal have a crowded midfield after the addition of Granit Xhaka. However, it should be Jack Wilshere, not the incoming Xhaka, that should be considered the future of Arsenal’s midfield.

The Arsenal midfield is very much becoming a major strength of the squad as a whole. With the recent addition of Granit Xhaka, the Gunners now have a nice blend of attacking and defensive talent in the side.

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While Xhaka is a very talented player, his role in the side is a little confusing. He is not an anchor man, a shield who sits in front of the back four. He is also, though, not a technical, creative attacking midfielder built in the same mold as Mesut Ozil. He is an all-round midfielder, a true box-to-box player, an engine in the middle of the park.

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He does not adequately replace, and thereby should not replace (although I think Wenger will see otherwise), Francis Coquelin as the primary holding player. Nonetheless, he should also not challenge Mesut Ozil in a more attacking role. Xhaka should be played as a pivot, the balance between defense and attack, a role that has been dominated by Santi Cazorla in recent years.

It should be said that Xhaka does add an element of leadership that has been missing from this Arsenal team, a steely, toughness that has been painfully absent in recent seasons, but he is not disciplined enough to execute the defensive midfield role in Arsenal’s system. However, with Cazorla now the wrong side of 30, and Xhaka the likely candidate to succeed the Spaniard, is the 23 year old the future of Arsenal’s midfield?

Wenger will most likely see Xhaka as the future of Arsenal’s midfield. He would not have spent £30 million to just be a squad player. Rather, Xhaka is expected to start for the Gunners and progress into a key member of the side, the future of the midfield. However, there is another player already in the squad that should be the future of Arsenal’s midfield, and it is not Granit Xhaka.

That man is Jack Wilshere, a player that much has been written about during his tumultuous tenure at the Emirates.

Wilshere, the perennially injured talented midfielder, still possesses world class potential. He showed such potential in his first full season with Arsenal, in which he played admirably alongside Cesc Fabregas, who then departed for Barcelona that Summer, stating that Wilshere is the future of Arsenal.

Fast forward five years, and Wilshere is still the future of Arsenal, it simply hasn’t come to be just yet. Injuries have been the name of the game for Wilshere, hindering any sort of development. Whenever he just reaches the cusp of full fitness, match sharpness and top form, his ankle gives way and he’s on the physio table for the next year.

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Nonetheless, such is the talent of Wilshere that he should be backed to progress into the future of Arsenal. He has the potential to be far superior to Xhaka, he is an Arsenal boy, loyal to the club, and if his fitness issues subside, he could well become the next Arsenal legend. The future is bright with Xhaka, but it’s gleaming with Wilshere.