Per Mertesacker has revealed that Jack Wilshere is being missed in the Arsenal dressing room this season.

As expected, the majority of the focus ahead of Arsenal v Bournemouth has been centred on Jack. Arsene Wenger has already confirmed that the club will offer him a new deal (his contract expires in 2018) and with Santi Cazorla now likely to leave in the summer, you have to think that the manager can now give Jack the assurances about playing time that he will surely need before he commits his future.

In the matchday programme ahead of the game, Per Mertesacker, who has returned to the club to complete the final stretch of his return to treatment, said of Jack, “He’s such a good lad as well and we do miss him because in the dressing room and on the pitch, he can give you that little bit extra that big clubs need to be successful.

“I hope he has a full season at Bournemouth and comes back stronger and as a force for us.”

Wilshere, of course, is not eligible to play against Arsenal because of the Premier League rules about players facing their parent clubs.