Arsenal: It being Jack Wilshere’s decision the best thing

Arsene Wenger has stated that the contract offer that was made to Jack Wilshere earlier in the season is still on the table. The ball of the Arsenal midfielder’s future is in his own court, and that is the best thing for everybody.

The future of Jack Wilshere is a curious case. He has been told that he can leave in two successive summer windows, one of which he did on a season-long loan. He returned to the club with a broken leg, after suffering a myriad of injuries for many years prior. He wormed his way back into the team with a series of sharp displays, only to then look a little lacking at the top level.

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It is in this rather contorted and strange context that Wilshere has quite the decisions to make. Initially, the stalling contract negotiations were presumed to be the fault of both club and player. Wilshere wasn’t too happy with the wages offered; Arsenal weren’t convinced that he could rediscover his full potential.

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But now, the context has changed. No longer is this a two-way street. Arsenal have clearly come to what they deem Wilshere to be worth. It is now up to Wilshere to determine whether he feels that is acceptable or not. Or at least, that is what I read from Arsene Wenger’s comments regarding Wilshere and his future on Thursday morning. Here is what he said:

"“I cannot give you any news because I don’t really know what is in his mind. I can just update you by saying that until now he has not signed. He has an offer and we want him to stay. He has an offer that is on a long-term contract basically, and I hope that at some stage he will sign it <…> He has the freedom to make that decision, he knows I want him to stay.”"

I have long said that Arsenal should be trying to sign Wilshere to a new contract. While his performances have certainly tailed off of late, perhaps with fatigue beginning to set in, such is his natural talent that I feel it is worth taking a roll of the dice on a player that does not require a transfer fee to sign. The reward is worth the risk of the wages.

But the key with that stance is that the club needed to determine what they deemed the risk worth. What chance do they give Wilshere for him to reach his potential and what wages are they willing to pay to gamble on that chance? I do not know what wages are on offer — it is reported to be in the region of £100,000-a-week. But what is encouraging is that Wenger and the club know what they believe Wilshere to be worth.

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I may or may not disagree with their assessment. But the assessment has been made, and that is crucial. Now all the terms have been defined. It is a straight yes or no for Wilshere. The ball is very much in his court, and that is the best thing for everyone.