Arsenal: Jack Wilshere Ultimatum Can Only Go One Way

Arsenal may be facing down an ultimatum with Jack Wilshere this summer, but the resolution seems simple enough.

Does anyone else ever stop and wander what the state of this Arsenal club would be if Jack Wilshere had just stayed healthy? One guy might not always make the biggest difference, but no one ever doubted Wilshere’s ability to be a game changer. He just couldn’t stay healthy.

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Now, his Arsenal career is at a serious crossroads. After being raised from a child in North London, he has spent the last year on loan at Bournemouth which, by some twist of fate, has led to steady health and consistent performances.

Essentially everything that we have always wanted him to have with the Gunners, he has found with the Cherries.

It’s a loan though so at the end of the year he will be returning and he will be bringing with him new contract negotiations. Wenger will do everything he can to hold onto the prodigal son, but according to former Arsenal midfielder Adrien Clarke, a new contract may not be enough.

“He will want some assurances form Arsene Wenger that he will be a starter,” Clarke said, via the Daily Star. “He can’t be a sub, he’s at an age where he has to play.”

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Compounded on that logic is the simple fact that Wilshere has been starting nearly every single game for Bournemouth, so moving back to the substitute bench is never going to be appealing.

So what we have here is a sort of ultimatum. Neither party has verified it, but what Clarke is saying makes total sense. Wilshere is obviously in the drivers seat because he has proven what he can do with consistent time and health, so the ball is in Wenger’s court. Give the lad a similar role with the Gunners, likely in the holding two, or watch him excel somewhere else.

There is only one option. You promise him a starting role. What’s the worst that could happen? If he succeeds in the role, no one can play it better. He’s just that talented. If he struggles, it isn’t realistic that he would demand to remain in the XI and hurt the team. He still loves this club.

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No matter what happens, the Gunners emerged victorious, and surely Wenger sees this too. Give the lad a new contract and let him fulfill his destiny like, five years behind schedule.