Last week I saw the same joke a number of times on Twitter.

Arsène Wenger was asked about Manchester City’s alleged interest in Wilshere, only to reply:

“We are not in a position anymore where we have to sell our best players.”

A number of like-minded people I follow retorted something along the lines of: ‘But Arsène, you were asked about Wilshere.’

And that’s the point.

Jack the lad 

Wasn’t he wonderful? He was certainly exciting.

Jack Wilshere’s breakthrough (and until now standout) season of 2010-11 was very good. Why? Alex Song had the physicality and Cesc Fabregas, as the world’s greatest provider, had all the cutting edge in the final third that Wilshere lacked then and lacks now. They had all the tools to cover the deficiencies of a young and developing Wilshere. All-in-all the season was good but ultimately collapsed. I imagine Arteta instead of Song would’ve served us wonderfully back then, but that’s another point.

This isn’t to take away from Wilshere’s season. He was exciting to watch. Leeway is given to young players – especially ones from your own academy (which we have lacked) – and Jack benefited from his youth either masking or being an excuse for flaws in his game.

Stagnated

Since then he hasn’t become more intelligent in a deep midfield role and his tenacious approach is no longer (or at least shouldn’t be) simply overlooked because of his youth.

Injuries can excuse form and technical development, but less so intelligence. Time on the pitch is clearly crucial, yet Wilshere doesn’t appear to have matured at all by watching other players and learning during his spells on the sidelines.

Competition for places

Can he play instead of Aaron Ramsey? No.

Physicality, goal threat, defensive work. Ramsey has them all, Wilshere doesn’t. Even when asked to operate in a wide role, Ramsey has the intelligence to offer width. Wilshere still drifts inwards, too eager to be heavily involved in the game.

See our form in 2013 and they show the two sides of Aaron Ramsey. March-May in 2012/13 he formed a solid base in front of the defence alongside Arteta. He hunts the ball with a huge success rate. August-December showed the offensive attributes that the Welshman has. He drove us forward

Wilshere, while excellent at driving forward, holds onto the ball for too long and can slow our play down in a way that Ramsey doesn’t.

Protecting the defence

Away at Dortmund this season, Arteta was left totally isolated and was pressed with ease – this was one of the worst Arsenal performances I can remember. Ramsey was asked to play higher that day, and Wilshere neglected the importance of helping the Spaniard.

The same happened at Anfield last season, with Wilshere wandering forward and leaving Arteta to cover huge amounts of space on his own. With Wilshere a part of it, Arsenal’s double pivot never remains united.

Partnership

Can Wilshere play with Ramsey? Not in any formation Arsenal have used so far.

Wilshere’s skillset could lend itself toward a style adopted by Santi Cazorla in centre-midfield, but it won’t.

Not at they very top level.

Manchester City away was Cazorla’s standout performance in a very good spell centrally.

He did a number of things that Jack just can’t. He calmly sat off the ball and waited for the right moment to steal it. His quick feet stole the show, buying us time and space while launching our dangerous attacks.

Wilshere loves to dribble and play quick combinations, but his one-footedness makes him predictable; he can’t turn both ways which is more or less what buys Cazorla time and space, helping the Spaniard’s trademark shuffle to be incredibly effective.

Ramsey is key for Arsenal, and he and Wilshere aren’t capable of playing next to each other in the middle. To do this, we would have to sacrifice the talents of either Cazorla or Mesut Özil and that, simply, would be mad.

Key

So. Can he be the key player he is still seen as by many? Certainly not right now.

Simply put, Ramsey is better than Wilshere in Wilshere’s best position. We already have key players who are individualistic on the ball (namely Alexis, and sometimes Ramsey himself) and Wilshere simply isn’t at the level of those two.

Squeeze him in

Fitting Wilshere back into the squad, let alone the team, will be a matter of squeezing him in. He can be a back up for Ramsey and Cazorla, though I very much doubt he’d like the idea of being a squad player.

Arsenal’s best form with Wilshere in the team since 2011 came at the beginning of last season, and he was on the right of the midfield. A fluent midfield system with Ramsey and Özil drifting around was great against lesser sides. Against Manchester City Arsenal lost 6-3 at City with the eventual champions overloading Nacho Monreal – Wilshere failed to provide adequate cover of the marauding runs from Pablo Zabaleta.

The problem is his competition out wide would also be fierce. Theo Walcott can’t get a game, and that’s with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out. Alexis Sánchez and Danny Welbeck are both very good on the right, Oxlade-Chamberlain will only get better, and Ramsey himself has been deployed on that side to great effect lately: he was excellent against Liverpool last weekend and scored the only goal in yesterday’s game against Burnley.

Future

As mentioned, Oxlade-Chamberlain will only improve, and even sees himself playing in Wilshere’s favourite central midfield position in the future.

Beyond him, two of Arsenal’s highest-rated young stars play there as well.

Gedion Zelalem is already wanted by Jürgen Klinsmann for the US national team, while Daniel Crowley conducts the u21s. Crowley in particular, completing his second season at Arsenal after learning his trade at Aston Villa, resembles Wilshere with his style – before long, he could have his chance with the first team squad.

Integral?

Jack Wilshere is a really talented guy. But he lacks the intelligence and understanding to be as integral to the team we once hoped he would become.

He just isn’t sensible in possession and the team more often than not loses it’s shape when we aren’t in possession.

Wilshere’s attitude means he takes too much upon himself. You have to build a team around Jack WIlshere to get the best out of him and a team. Simply put, Arsenal have far better options if they are to build a team around one individual.

He could yet make a good addition to the squad, but I have never been under the impression that he’d be willing to ‘settle’ for being a squad member at Arsenal.

Wenger instantly denied the rumours linking him to a transfer, but I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest that Jack Wilshere’s days at Arsenal are numbered.