Arsenal: Arsene Wenger must put his money where his mouth is

Arsene Wenger has stated that he wants Jack Wilshere to stay at Arsenal. Well, it might be about time for him to put his money where his mouth is.

The future of Jack Wilshere is perhaps the biggest player uncertainty that needs to be settled between now and the end of the season. While Arsene Wenger and his position will always demand the most attention, from a pure player perspective, although the Arsenal squad is in a state of flux, the biggest question mark at this point is the future of an oft-injured midfielder.

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His current contract expires at the end of the season. He has been offered a new deal, but has been hesitant to accept it, with reports suggesting that it requires him taking pay cut. Nevertheless, it is a step forward from last summer when Wenger told Wilshere that he was not to be offered a new deal and that he was free to try and find a new club.

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Now, though, the tune from Wenger has very much changed. And quite dramatically so. Wenger, in a recent interview with BEIN Sports, admitted that he wants Wilshere to stay at the club, though he did concede that other clubs will make their respective offers:

"“I can only reassure him that I want him to stay. We make him a proposal, after that, you have to accept Jack is at an age where he will have offers from somewhere else. ‘Personally I put my weight in for him to stay and push him to stay. Gattuso said the other day he has the technique of a Spanish player and the character of an English player. I think it’s well judged. That’s why you want him to stay at the club.”"

They are quite extraordinary comments. Wenger is clearly still enamoured with the talent of Wilshere. In the same interview, he goes on to talk about the injury issues of the now 25-year-old and reveals his hopes for two or three years of injury-free football.

But the problem is that Wenger’s words and Wenger’s offer do not quite go hand in hand. While he gushes over him with his mouth, he is not so committed with his wallet. It’s time for Wenger to put his money where his mouth is.

Now, some may question, myself included, whether Wilshere is worth more than the reported £100,000-a-week offer that has been made. But if Wenger is so willing to praise him so gushingly in a public interview, then clearly he believes his value is significant, more so than less than a third of what Mesut Ozil just agreed to, for instance.

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And that is the crux of the issue for Wenger. He is saying one thing and acting as if he believes another. I guess we will find out in due course how true Wenger is in his praise of Wilshere and his apparent desire to keep him at the club. But, for now, I have my doubts.