Arsenal: Jack Wilshere Could Become Next Walcott

Arsenal were supposed to be run by Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere at this point, but nether has panned out. It may be too late for Theo, but what of Jack?

I think the world of Jack Wilshere. When he is truly clicking, there are few things better to see. I want to see him become a mainstay in this Arsenal team like none other, but it’s clear that Wenger is preparing for that not to happen. The man has gone from the future of Arsenal to a supporting actor in the span of six years. At just 24, there is still time to turn it around, but we really are getting to crunch time.

It was during the preseason match against the MLS All-Stars that the thought hit me. Seeing Walcott do the same old thing to no avail has become a commonplace. But seeing Jack Wilshere look flustered and incapable was not commonplace. It got me wondering if, assuming things don’t shape up, Wilshere is on the path to becoming the next Theo Walcott.

It wasn’t that long ago, maybe a couple years, that you couldn’t find an Arsenal supporter who didn’t love Theo. He was a loyal soldier who had all the potential in the world and he had speed for days. Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Arsenal supporter who isn’t fed up with his inabilities. Think about it, in the span of two or three years, Walcott has gone from a favorite to a scrub.

He’s 27 now, the longest tenured man at Arsenal, and still he has clearly not improved at all and still only draws playing time because of Wenger’s sense of loyalty. It makes me feel bad to speak so poorly of him because I still do want to see him succeed, but how much is too much loyalty? His flashes of brilliance are getting fewer and farther between.

I had never thought of Jack Wilshere that way. He’s still three years younger than Walcott and he has shown so much promise between the injuries. But so too had Walcott.

Seeing Wilshere look ineffective against the MLS All-Stars, doing the same old things he has done in the past, made me wonder if Jack Wilshere, in three years, is going to be the ‘should have been future of Arsenal’ that everyone now just wants to be rid of. You can see the rumblings already starting on social media.

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That’s a scary thought. I can’t imagine thinking that way about Jack, not like I do Walcott. But if in three years injuries have continued to rupture his progress and he still can’t manage to string a healthy season together, can we really be so sure that he won’t go down the same path? What if he’s 27, looks the same as he did against the MLS All-Stars, and Wenger is still sending him out there because of his loyalty?

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The one thing that gives me hope is that Wilshere has been here forever. This is his home. He will always have that extra level to go to when he needs it. I think Walcott has that too, but not to the same extent Wilshere does. Jack wants to succeed at Arsenal more than anything. Maybe that will be his saving grace. Or maybe he can just stay healthy for once and calm my newest fear.

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