Perry Groves believes that Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers will all leave Arsenal this summer in search for regular football but he’s backed Jack Wilshere to stay despite speculation that he’s off.
Arsenal cult hero, Groves, believes that Wilshere is a player that Arsene Wenger needs to keep hold of this summer, despite others most likely leaving for first team football.
“I think Chambers, Gibbs and Debuchy will all leave this window, they need first team football,” Groves, who scored 21 goals for Arsenal, told bwin.
“I think Jack Wilshere will stay at the club but it’s essential that he gets himself 100% fit before he kicks a ball.
“He’s the one player we need to give a chance, even if he’s on the bench for a while and take his chance when it appears.
“He needs to change his game and stop going into 50-50 challenges, take the 70-30/80-20 challenges.
“He needs to make sure he protects his body.
“He can play the holding midfield role as he has an excellent range of passing, but I’m not convinced he’s still got the speed to take players on like he could.
“He needs to watch videos of Paul Scholes.
“Theo needs to work out what he wants.
“The question is whether he’s going to get first team football.
“I would keep him because he’s versatile, he can play wide or centrally.
“Unless he comes and says he wants to leave, we need to keep him as he offers something in the final 20-30 minutes that very few players can offer, pace and finishing.”
Well, Groves might be in for a treat, as despite being linked with Sampdoria, Antalyaspor and Swansea, as well as boyhood club West Ham, the Daily Mail claim that Wilshere wants to stay and fight for a place at Arsenal – exactly as Groves says he should.
The odds are still on Wilshere to join the Hammers, although he’s almost as likely to stay at Arsenal according to sites which offer the best UK betting offers.
It’s a tricky one from Wenger’s perspective as, while the 25-year-old was supposed to be the future of Arsenal Football Club, which is why he was handed the #10 shirt in the first place, his injuries have prevented him from reaching his goals and now he’s so far behind where he was supposed to be at his age, the boss must be wondering if it’s really worth giving him another deal.
At the moment, there’s no talk of a contract extension in the press and the midfielder only has one year left on his current deal. Therefore, it’d wouldn’t be outlandish to assume that Arsenal are aiming to cash in now.
Is Groves right? Should Arsenal give him another chance? Or has Wilshere, through no fault of his own, already used up a lifetime of chances?
Right now, he’s so far down the pecking order behind Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin it’s worth considering, is it worth it? Not just for the club but for him when he could be getting first team football at another team?