ARSENE’S CAPTAIN JACK
If Wilshere signs a new deal he will be made Gunners skipper because Wenger says: “He is an Arsenal man and has leadership qualities.. who could question his love and commitment to the club? Nobody”
ARSENE WENGER has told Jack Wilshere he can become Arsenal’s next captain if he stays at the Emirates.
The Gunners boss says Wilshere has the “leadership qualities” and love for the club to become a legend. The 26-year-old has been a revelation since regaining his fitness. But his long-term future remains uncertain as his current deal expires at the end of the season. Wenger has no doubt that Wilshere wants to stay and fully expects him to sign a new contract which will keep him at Arsenal. He captained Gunners in the League Cup semifinal at Chelsea and even kept the armband as a precious souvenir after the game. Wenger said: “I see him here because he is an Arsenal man. He has been here for a long time and he has leadership qualities. “He has a football brain and he is completely focused on Arsenal.” Wilshere has spent time on loan at Bourne- mouth but Wenger said: “The fact that he has been away and come back.. maybe he realises that life here is not so bad! He can be one of the leaders in the future. Who would question his love and commitment for the club? Nobody. We have to find an agreement that makes him happy and wish that in the future he remains fit.”
If Wilshere (celebrating Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph in 2015, below) accepts the new deal offered to him, he will be taking a cut to his basic £110,000-a-week contract.
Arsenal want him to sign a basic £90,000-a-week contract that, with bonuses, will give him a significant rise on his current deal as long as he is playing. It is a remarkable turnaround for a player who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth and was told at the start of the summer that he could go.
Aston Villa made an offer for him but Wilshere refused to go, fought for his place, and is now back in the starting XI, with Wenger believing he has matured in every way.
The Frenchman said his England midfield star has learned to treat his body better, which is the reason he has avoided injury this season.
Wenger added: “He is much more patient and mature. His desire to play used to be the only thing that mattered but today he knows his body better and knows whether or not he is fit to play. He has a lot of injury prevention to do and he does that religiously. He used to be a bit more ‘my body can take that’ like we are when we are 20.”