HOWE WANTS WILSHERE TO STAY
EVERYEVERY KICK, KICK, EVERY EVERY GOAL, GOAL, EVERY EVERY GAME GAME Super sub can be at home with Cherries
EDDIE HOWE still wants to sign Jack Wilshere in the summer – even though he can’t promise him a place in his team.
The Bournemouth boss will try to convince his on-loan Arsenal star that his spell on the South Coast has been a success, despite his current role as a super sub.
Wilshere lit up a drab game after coming on for the final 20 minutes and Howe said: “I’ve always said we love Jack and we would love to sign him.
“That decision will rest with Arsenal, Jack and other people and is out of our hands. He may well see his future elsewhere.
“I’m well aware he doesn’t want to be coming off the bench as he is at the moment but I prefer to look at Jack’s season as a whole and it has been a massive, massive positive for him.
“He’s played so many games and a lot of 90 minutes. Though he is in a little spell now where he is out of the team, he is still coming on to great effect and overall he has stayed fit and that has to be a huge positive for him.”
Factor
Whether Wilshere sees it that way only he knows. He’s shown a mature attitude and said and done all the right things both in public and behind the scenes at Bournemouth’s training ground.
However, he still faces another night on the bench at Liverpool on Wednesday, even though he transformed this game.
His through ball helped Ryan Fraser win the penalty that should have given the Cherries their first win in 13 trips to their South Coast rivals and his added quality caused Saints all sorts of problems.
“He was the defining factor in us gaining total control and we really should have gone on to win because of his performance,” said Howe.
“He has been an outstanding professional and I can’t speak highly enough of him as a player and as a person.”
That Bournemouth didn’t win was down to Harry Arter’s ‘David Beckham moment’ when his standing foot slipped and he ballooned a late penalty into the crowd, just like Beckham did in the Euro 2004 quarterfinal shoot-out against Portugal.
The same thing also happened to Tottenham’s Harry Kane at the same end of St Mary’s earlier this season.
Arter joked: “It must be a Harry thing. Next time round if your name is Harry, don’t take a penalty at that end!
“I don’t know if the manager will ask me to take the next one we get, but if he does, I am brave enough to take it. I feel confident I’ll score.
“I was completely confident. In my mind, I was already celebrating before I took it.
“I’ve taken about 50 in training and scored with nearly every single one. I’m just glad there is another game on Wednesday so I can put it right and I’m just looking forward to that now.”
Southampton started well enough but without Manolo Gabbiadini don’t have a reliable goalscorer to replace the Italian – Dusan Tadic missing three gilt-edged chances.
Saints midfielder Oriol Romeu said: “We had a lot of chances but in the end we had to be happy with a draw.” 6; SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): Forster 5, Bertrand Soares 6, Stephens 7, Yoshida Davis 6, 6; Ward-Prowse 6 (Boufal 63, 5), (McQueen 80), ROMEU 7, Redmond 6; Tadic 5 Hassen, Rodriguez 5 (Long 63, 6). Subs: Clasie, Caceres, Hojberg. Premier UP NEXT: Crystal Palace (h), League, Wednesday. 7; BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Boruc 6; A Smith 6, Francis 6, Cook 7, Daniels Gosling 6, Fraser 6, Surman 5 (Arter 46, 7), 70, 8). Pugh 6; Afobe 5, King 6 (WILSHERE Ibe, Cargill. Subs: Allsop, B Smith, Stanislas, League, UP NEXT: Liverpool (a), Premier Wednesday. Referee: Jonathan Moss 8. is it since YOUR TURN: How many years Southampton Bournemouth last won away to - 20, 40 or never? JACK WILSHERE Transformed the game BENIK AFOBE Bad miss and lacked confidence