Will Arsenal regret parting ways with Jack Wilshere this summer?

When Jack Wilshere first burst onto the scene with Arsenal as a fresh-faced teenager just a short matter of seasons ago, much was expected of the young up and coming midfielder with the Gunners among the English top-flight – as well as upon the illustrious international scene with the often ill-fated Three Lions.

 

Since then however, a series of frustratingly timed injury setbacks have sadly played a defining role in the 24-year-old’s top-flight career thus far – culminating in several stop-start seasons of indifference for the English international as he constantly seeks to prove his fitness within the ever competitive realm of Premier League football.

 

As a result of Wilshere’s unmistakably injury-prone nature, Arsenal have subsequently allowed the technically gifted midfield man to leave on loan for AFC Bournemouth this summer, in a move that seemingly served to surprise many as transfer deadline-day finally came to its long awaited conclusion last week. But will such a decision ultimately serve to harm the Gunners in the long-run? Time will invariably have to tell…

 

Players like Wilshere & Campbell would start for most teams in the PL, the fact that we can loan them out shows how strong our squad is #AFC

— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) 5 September 2016

 

Eddie Howe confirms Jack Wilshere will not 'walk' into the Bournemouth starting XI

Obviously, he'll be wheeled in pic.twitter.com/NgaOfBNS6b

— UNILAD Football (@UNILADFooty) 4 September 2016

 

Arsenal’s newly sourced holding midfielder – in the shape of Swiss international and former Bundesliga favourite, Granit Xhaka – has seemingly signalled a temporary end to Wilshere’s chances of breaking into Arsene Wenger’s first team plans with the Gunners across the 2016/17 campaign. The ex-Borussia Monchengladbach box-to-box man certainly looks like he could well develop into a truly exciting asset for Gunners fans in all due time, so it’s initially easy to see why Wenger decided to move for Xhaka before offering Wilshere yet another chance to prove his fitness in North London.

 

And even though one more poorly timed injury crisis could admittedly serve to halt the Gunners as they look to progress among the upper echelons of the English top-flight over the course of the new season, Arsenal arguably needed to part ways with Jack Wilshere before the England international’s situation at the Emirates became truly untenable.

 

Although Wilshere can often play the ball with wonderful finesse in the middle of the park when things are going well for the widely admired England international, the injury-prone 24-year-old is simply no longer needed in North London at this particular stage in the proceedings – not with the abundance of midfield options currently on offer at the Emirates. Wenger’s loss could certainly be seen as AFC Bournemouth’s overall gain in this particular instance however, but even if Jack Wilshere manages to impress for the Cherries as some have subsequently expected this campaign, the on-loan Gunners midfielder won’t likely stay fit for the entirety of the season whether that be at the Vitality Stadium or back at the Emirates.

 

This was a move that simply had to take place one way or another, for the sake of all parties involved. Arsenal simply don’t require the midfielder’s services as it stands right in the here and now, Bournemouth have certainly seen their overall stock improve as a result of Wilshere’s – albeit temporary inclusion, and the player himself arguably needed to test his abilities in a new environment before facing the possibility of becoming a completely forgotten asset down at the Emirates. The 2016/17 Premier League campaign could therefore prove a make or break season for this formally exciting England international…