According to reports, Jack Wilshere choosing Bournemouth and therefore rejected Crystal Palace on the final day of the transfer window has forced Alan Pardew to attempt to sign Mathieu Flamini on a free.

Don’t do it, Alan!

Wilshere was linked with a move to just about every club in the world on transfer deadline day eve but by the time the window shut, he’d decided to join the Cherries on a season-long loan. Whether having his pal, Benik Afobe, at the club swayed his decision, we don’t yet know but the main reason for the move was to get regular playing time, which wasn’t possible at Arsenal.

The day before the window shut, the Eagles’ boss, Pardew, explained that they were in for Wilshere and that he would be silly not to try and get him.

“Jack is a player that became available yesterday and we thought it would be silly not to get involved in that,” he told Sky Sports.

“Obviously there’s a lot of clubs who would like Jack and I guess we’re one of them.

“We’ve done so well in this window; it really would be the icing on the cake if we were to get him across the line. But we’ve got other targets that we’re pursuing today. We’re having a look at those just as much as we’re looking at Jack.

“But if we didn’t get anyone across the line I’d still be very pleased, the chairman and the board have done brilliantly to get the players we’ve got.”

Now that he hasn’t strengthened the midfield, he’s said to be looking at Flamini, who left the Gunners this summer after we decided not to extend his contract.

He was a complete liability and many of us lived in fear that we would re-sign him so goodness knows what Pardew’s doing if he is actually looking to sign him.

On the plus side, it could be quite funny.