Wilshere admits he might need to leave Arsenal
LONDON: Jack Wilshere has asked Arsene Wenger for an ‘honest’ conversation about his future after admitting he might need to leave in January if he is to resurrect his World Cup hopes.
The midfielder is out of contract next summer and despite impressive performances in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, he is yet to be handed a single start in the Premier League side.
It is a mildly frustrating situation for Wilshere, who has finally found fitness and is desperate to stay at a club he first joined as a nine-year-old.
But while Wenger has often been vague about Wilshere’s prospects of getting a new deal and the prominence of his role in the Arsenal set-up, the 25-yearold wants a frank meeting ahead of the transfer window to find out where he stands.
When asked if he would look at leaving in January as a means of breaking into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup plans, Wilshere said: “I think we will have to talk about that.
“We have got a month until then and me and the boss will probably have a conversation before then and see what happens because obviously when January comes I have only got six months left on my contract.
“We will see what happens between now and then, I will talk to the boss.
“We have known each other for long enough and we have a good relationship where we can be honest with each other so I’m sure we will be and then we will go from there.”
He added: “I’ve said before that I want to stay here and play.
“I’ve been at this club for years. “I don’t have to say how much this club means to me, how good they have been to me.
“But at the same time as well, the boss has got to be honest with me and I’m sure he will.”
Wenger has previously outlined his desire to speak with Wilshere in December to enable him to focus on his reintegration into the squad after spending last season at Bournemouth.
Wilshere’s playing time has been largely restricted to the cup competitions, with only two substitute outings in the Premier League. That has been despite increasingly impressive performances in the side that has qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Wilshere said: “It is difficult when you play every three weeks. My last game (prior to the defeat at Cologne on Thursday) was three weeks ago but I feel good. I feel fit enough and have said for a while that I am ready and waiting, I just need to be picked.
“I want to play in the Premier League so of course I’m frustrated but the team are playing well, I feel. They did really well against Tottenham on Saturday and the players are playing well, it is a difficult team to get in to.
“I will try everything — I will work hard in training and when I get the opportunity I will play as well as I can but it is a difficult team to get in to.
“I spoke to the manager in the summer and he told me what I had to do.
“I have got as fit as I can, I have played a few games now and I’m ready to play and that is down to the boss. He has always been good to me in the past, we have known each other long enough to be honest with each other and I’m sure between now and January we will have that conversation.”
Wilshere added: “I’ve been injured for two years, basically. So I’m fit. I’m playing, I’m happy, I’m training every day. I’m happy to be back in the team. I don’t want to force something too much and then something might happen.
“Listen, I want to play, of course, but I haven’t been at Arsenal, fit and feeling like I do for a good couple of years.
“At the moment, I’m happy. I’ve said there’s going to have to be a conversation because time is running out on my contract.
“When that time comes, I’ll sit down with the boss and go from there.” Daily Mail