Wilshere’s future is tied up with Cesc’s
22 comments July 10th, 2010
Owen Coyle, it seems, doesn’t know how to play hard to get. His open attempts to seduce Jack Wilshere in to returning to the North-West leave him liable to get hurt:
“We had dialogue over the summer and since we’ve come back and we’ll continue to do that.
And I’ve said, and I’m on record as saying, I want to thank Arsenal and Arsene (Wenger) and obviously Jack for coming last year because he certainly helped us and what we’re trying to do.
And again I feel, and I’m a bit biased in wanting him back, but I certainly feel another loan period with us would take him on another level again.”
That said, it’s easy to see Coyle’s point. Better Jack play at Bolton than sit on the bench at Arsenal. In his time in London last season, Wilshere made just one Premier League sub appearance, and four starts in all competitions. At Bolton he got a run of games together that saw him develop in to one of their more influential players. Coyle’s desperation to get him back is both understandable and obvious – it’s all he ever seems to talk about.
The truth is that he’ll be forced to wait. Arsene won’t make a decision on Wilshere until the end of the transfer window – and, crucially, until he is certain of where Cesc Fabregas’ future lies.
Buying a direct replacement for Cesc is probably an impossible task. But in Wilshere (and Welsh tyro Aaron Ramsey), Arsenal have two players with a combined skill-set to at least have a go. In his time at Bolton, Wilshere rapidly evolved from tricky wide player to a creative central midfielder. I’d be cautious about his deploying him there in a 4-4-2, but in our 4-3-3 system he could prove very effective.
I’m not for one minute suggesting that if Cesc goes Wilshere will be dropped directly in to the team and asked to play every game. The likes of Samir Nasri and any potential new signings would probably be ahead of him in the queue. But in the event of losing our skipper, allowing the player with the most natural capacity to replace him to disappear on loan would make little sense.
Sorry, Mr. Coyle. You, like us, are now waiting for Sandro Rossell & Co to put up or shut up.
