Siddy Shivdasani
He’s talented but not “world class”. He’s hard but not reckless. He’s dogged but injury prone. He’s in great form but is now a big fish in a small pond. Have you guessed who it is yet?
Jack Wilshere.
I wouldn’t put it past Wenger. I think he is a very good player and who knows where he’d be now if it wasn’t for his almost Diaby-like stockpile of sick notes? Perhaps great. Perhaps “world class”. Definitely an England regular (though that’s not such a fantastic achievement these days). But I fear that he could be “like a new signing” (deliberate cliche) in the summer. Classic Wenger.
It kind of annoys me that he is staying fit at Bournemouth (and again raises questions about why we have such a chronic problem with injuries). But on the other hand, it is good to see one of our charges flourishing, even if it’s not for us (when we actually need him in the absence of Cazorla, which means the pros outweigh the cons).
Wilshere is no longer a great prospect, he is 25 years old. Wenger describes him as “world class”. He’s not. He has not yet come anywhere near fulfilling his potential and how many “world class” players are loaned out to Bournemouth? He should be entering his peak years now but he (presumably) isn’t because of the amount of time he has spent on the treatment table. He simply hasn’t played enough football and there is constant anxiety about when (not whether) he is going to break down again.
There is also still a huge debate about his best position. Is he a deep-lying midfielder competing with Cazorla? Or a number ten competing with Ozil? He is currently the lesser light on both scores for us, which is why he’s out on loan (although with AW insisting he has a future at Arsenal).
Personally, I think he is better deep-lying. He reminds me of Pirlo in that position at times and he also knows how to mix it up, he’s no shrinking violet. But he is currently playing as an attacking midfielder at Bournemouth. I wonder whether AW has anything to do with that. Does AW have an agreement with Eddie Howe?
I’m into conspiracy theories, so here goes...
Wenger will assess his own situation as the season draws to a close, if it is tenable for him to stay, he will stay. So, he’s farmed out Wilshere as the Ozil situation rumbles on. I honestly think the German wizard is planning his escape route because he is sick of Wenger (another story). But he says he won’t sign until AW’s future is decided. So, Ozil’s covered all his bases with his mind games. Genius (on and off the pitch).
Meanwhile, if Wilshere is playing out of his skin as a number ten this season then it’s the classic Wenger “internal solution” for 2017-18. And if he picks up injuries or doesn’t live up to his billing with Bournemouth then AWFC will have to put his hand in his pocket as the situation would demand. And knowing him, the replacement would cost less than the departee. AW is hedging his bets.
These are my fears and I really hope I am just being paranoid. But The Messiah has a long history of signing inferior replacements because he thinks he can turn water into wine. It’s a long list.
A couple of seasons back, because of an all-too-familiar injury crisis, AW plucked Coquelin from obscurity (on loan at Charlton) to add a bit of steel to our midfield and, to an extent, it worked. But while many of us were salivating in the summer of 2014 over the strongly-rumoured prospect of signing world class DM Sami Khedira for £20million from Real Madrid, AW decided to show faith in his “internal solution”.
I like Coquelin. But he’s not in Khedira’s class.
I like Wilshere. But he’s not in Ozil’s class.
