Arsenal and Jack Wilshere: The head rules the heart

Jack Wilshere is reportedly set to leave Arsenal this summer when his contract expires. If he does, the decision sees the head rule the heart. It will be sad, if somewhat sensible, to see him leave.

The Arsenal career of Jack Wilshere is one of lost potential. Like many players before him, the midfielder has seen his talent scuppered by injury. Ankles, largely, have been his Achilles heel, and he has seen whole seasons wiped away because of various issues.

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The tension with Wilshere has always been his talent. How long do you wait for an unquestionably gifted player to have some good luck with injuries? It is a difficult line to draw.

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And it perhaps seems as though Wilshere is set to draw it himself. According to the Daily Mirror, Wilshere will leave the Emirates when his contract expires at the end of June amid concerns that he will not be afforded consistent playing opportunities next season under new manager Unai Emery, who replaces the man that has fathered Wilshere for all of his career, Arsene Wenger.

It is the departure of Wenger that alters Wilshere’s thinking, that much is certain. No more does he have the insatiably loyal Wenger fighting in his corner. Emery has not ties to Wilshere. He has no prior relationship, no loyalty to him, no time invested in him. He simply has Wilshere’s performances to make judgements on and, while it was nice to see him complete a full season, they were not the most convincing, especially in the latter months.

With Aaron Ramsey allegedly the cornerstone of Emery’s plans, Granit Xhaka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles having agreed to long-term extensions, which suggest that they will play a key part, the ever-reliable Mohamed Elneny providing more than capable depth, and the prospect of Lucas Torreira joining in a £26 million move, it is difficult to see where Wilshere fits.

That same competition in midfield has existed before at Arsenal, but Wenger always blinded himself to the injury record of Wilshere by seeking out the sparkling potential. Emery, ostensibly, will not be so romantic — some would say naive. Wilshere needs to impress Emery. He may not want the fight.

Being an Arsenal boy, I am sure that Wilshere’s heart is telling him to stay. He guffawed over his opportunity to captain this club earlier this season. He is totally committed, totally in love, utterly infatuated. But he may not play. And that, at 26, is a deal-breaker.

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For Wilshere, then, if he is to leave, this is a decision of the head vs the heart. It is the age-old problem: the rational or the raw; the logical or the love; the sensible or the sentimental. It is an impossible choice, but one that he must make nonetheless.