Pickford catches Southgate’s eye
Wenger told him he could go...now Jack is eyeing World Cup
JORDAN PICKFORD’S excellent distribution skills could be a key factor for Gareth Southgate as he bids to solve England’s goalkeeping headache. As of last night, the four keepers in Southgate’s squad — Pickford, Jack Butland, Joe Hart and Nick Pope — had yet to be told who would play against Holland tomorrow. But it is understood Southgate is edging towards playing Everton’s Pickford, and giving Butland playing time, possibly against italy on Tuesday. Southgate wants to build a philosophy of playing out from the back and Pickford’s comfort with the ball at his feet has been discussed by the England manager and coaching staff as they ponder who will be No 1 at the World Cup.
PEDALLING away on the watt bike at Arsenal’s training ground last summer, Jack Wilshere was stopped dead in his tracks.
‘I wasn’t getting in the Arsenal team and the manager said I could leave if I wanted to,’ Wilshere recalled.
‘I was on the bike in the gym. It was a strange one, because maybe part of me knew all this already — all I needed was some clarity on where I stood. It was an honest conversation. We have known each other long enough where we can have that relationship where we are honest with each other.
‘It was boiling up for a while because everybody knew I had a year left on my deal and I had been out on loan, got injured, and wasn’t really in his plans.
‘ He said, “I am going to be honest with you. At the moment we are not going to be offering you a contact, so if you can get a contract somewhere else, you can go”.
‘Obviously I was not happy with that, but at the same time I was happy he was being honest. He gave me the opportunity with three or four weeks left in the transfer window, but I did not find anything that I wanted and at the same time I was not really fit, so I decided that I wanted to stay and build up my fitness.
‘He also said that if I did stay I had an opportunity to fight for my place, and if I performed well in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, I had a chance.’
Fast forward eight months and how times have changed. Wilshere took his chance in the Carabao Cup and Europa League and is now a fixture in Arsene Wenger’s Premier League starting XI.
Similarly, Wenger — after insisting he wouldn’t — has offered the midfielder a new contract, though not one necessarily to Wilshere’s liking. And, perhaps most compelling of all, Wilshere has forced his way back into England manager Gareth Southgate’s squad.
‘I think it’s fair to say there was a time I thought I’d never make it back to this point,’ Wilshere said.
‘But hopefully, I’ll get the chance this week or next week to put the England shirt back on again and it will be special.
‘I’ve always said I love representing my country. I’ve been fortunate enough to do it 34 times now and it is something that I’ve missed. But I never gave up hope that I could do it again.’
It remains to be seen whether Wilshere will be afforded the opportunity to make his first appearance for England since that fateful night against Iceland at Euro 2016 in tomorrow’s clash against Holland or Tuesday’s visit of Italy to Wembley. But Wilshere insists he is at peace with the injury setbacks that have wrecked the first half of his career. He added: ‘ You have to deal with these things and I feel I’m at a place in my career and in my life where I have accepted the past has happened and now I’m just focused on the future and improving myself. I know my body better than I have ever done. I know what to do with it and how to get the best out of it so I’m just focused on that.’
Wilshere is not the only Arsenal player uncertain about his club future following the mega-spending at the Emirates in January. Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck face uncertainty after Arsenal’s wage budget was pushed to the limit by signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre EmerickAubameyang for a combined £330,000 per week and handing Mesut Ozil a new contract worth in excess of £300,000 per week.
Contracts chief Huss Fahmy, who was recruited from Team Sky last summer, is proving a tough negotiator. Wilshere, whose deal expires in the summer, has had one contract offer worth a basic wage of around £80,000 per week — a £30,000-per-week pay cut from his current terms.
Wilshere, it is understood, has no intention of signing the deal on the table. Similarly, Arsenal, so far, have not improved their offer.
It is understood Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea are monitoring the situation very closely. The need to tie Ramsey and Welbeck down is just as urgent, with the pair entering the final 12 months of their deals.
Ramsey earns £110,000 per week while Welbeck’s deal is around £75,000 per week but Sportsmail sources say neither player will be offered a significant pay rise to stay.