As much as we like to think of Jack Wilshere as an Arsenal lad, the 26-year-old actually grew up in a household that supported West Ham United. Well today, the Englishman fulfilled his boyhood dream by signing for East end club.
Jack Wilshere decided not to sign a new contract with Arsenal after having very frank talks with Unai Emery. In an emotional Instagram post, Wilshere revealed that the Spaniard made it clear he wouldn’t get the playing time he wanted/needed at this stage of his career. Reports suggest that Unai Emery intends to build his team around Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka, not Jack Wilshere.
Now, Jack Wilshere has joined West Ham as a free agent on a three-year deal. On his day, the midfielder is a player of world-class ability that can turn games on their head with one move. In the past, he’s been compared to the likes of Andres Iniesta and Andrea Pirlo. And that’s why several clubs were chasing his signature once he announced his decision to leave. But the 26-year-old chose the Hammers for a number of reasons. In an interview on the club’s website, Wilshere stated:
“I think it was a number of things that helped me make up my mind, the manager being one and the way he wants to play and where he sees me playing.”
Clearly, Wilshere’s playing time and position were key to his decision, with the Englishman’s preference to be a central midfielder. It’s not as though Unai Emery wouldn’t have played him there, but it’s clear the Englishman’s injury record played a factor in his judgement.
Since the 2009/10 season, Jack Wilshere has been injured for 1013 days equating to him missing 155 games. On a more positive note, the 26-year-old played 38 games for Arsenal last season in perhaps his best campaign for the Gunners in a while. Still, that wasn’t enough for him to be apart of Emery’s plans.
After 17 years as an Arsenal player, Jack Wilshere’s career has taken a positive swerve as he will now be in the position to fight for a recall to the national team. Jack Wilshere’s move to East London would not only revitalise his club & international career, but it would also help West Ham push higher up the league.
Under Manuel Pellegrini, Wilshere would be played as the most advanced central midfielder with the emphasis on him making surging runs into the final third. Behind him, Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyaté would sit as a midfield pivot to shield the back four while Wilshere dictates play.
In a relatively successful Europa League campaign, a tournament West Ham will be hoping to enter, Wilshere averaged 86.4% passing accuracy while creating 1.8 chances a game. Such form would do wonders in a West Ham that struggled to create last season.
In addition to the blockbuster signing of Jack Wilshere, West Ham are close to completing a deal for Andriy Yarmalenko while also looking at re-signing Dimitri Payet. This clearly shows that Wilshere is the start of something special at the Olympic Stadium.
Later on, in his interview with the club, Wilshere went on to mention how much the club meant to his whole family. Staying in London also means his immediate family wouldn’t have to uproot and relocate. Clearly, this move is more than football for the 26-year-old, and we at SportsCourant wish him the best for the coming season.
