Arsenal: Jack Wilshere staying is far from monumental

Arsenal have gotten one of those ambiguous ‘boosts’ to the Jack Wilshere situation saying that he is likely staying. Which is great, but not massively impacting.

Reports are coming in that Jack Wilshere has accepted an “improved” contract offer from Arsenal, which is a massive stress lifted if the reports prove to be true. Which is never a given. But as always, for arguments sake, let’s assume that it is true, and that Wilshere has signed on for the long-term.

Honestly, not much changes. Emotionally, yes, we love that the Englishman is staying, because picturing him in a shirt other than the red and white is a rather difficult thing to do, but when you think of the implications on the pitch, they aren’t that great.

Wilshere had a huge opportunity this past season to show what he was capable of. He was given free reign to a starting first-team role and he squandered it.

What promise we saw came in small bursts, as we are used to seeing in any other year. He had his moments of pure brilliance but, this year, rather than those moments being separated by injury, they were separated by mediocre performances on the pitch.

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Which isn’t always a bad thing. I’d argue that more times than not, Mohamed Elneny is mediocre and I still see tremendous value in him as a player.

But with Wilshere, we’ve always expected more from him. So to see that he wasn’t able to deliver on a consistent basis was disappointing, although not the end of the world. After all, I do believe that a lot of his struggles on the pitch came during the contractual indecision, which had to weigh heavily on his mind.

The thing is, Wilshere is now a peripheral figure. I don’t find him good enough to be a bonafide starter anymore. If he wants to change that, fantastic. There is the opportunity to. But it falls on him to prove that he is worth it.

And, in the meantime, don’t be surprised if someone like Jean Michael Seri shows up to make that process more difficult. Without Arsene Wenger in charge, these free runs in the first team have to come to an end.

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It would obviously be some fantastic news if Wilshere signs a new deal, because the potential is always there. But a new deal doesn’t solve anything. We still need midfield help.

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