Dubbed by Arsene Wenger as the player with a Spanish technique but with an English heart, the career of Jack Wilshere has been one of football’s most disappointing stories. When young Wilshere first broke into the scene and made his debut at the age of 16, Arsenal’s youngest ever debutant, stories circulated about the arrival of the next great English potential.
Known for his movement, vision, passing and combination play, as well as his leadership on the pitch and the uncanny ability to turn games on its head with moments of magic, Wilshere has everything to rule the midfield on any match day.
However, his career has so far been nothing short of frustrating for the fans, the club and the player himself. Several severe injuries have blighted his career and at the age of 25, English fans are still waiting for Wilshere to live up to his potential.
On days when he has played, he has been effective. His tendency to overexert himself and do something extraordinary in every situation on the pitch has however either led him to create a moment of magic or more commonly making a mistake or worst of all, injuring himself.
At the age of 25, he has already missed 155 games in his career with 13 different injuries. The numbers are unbelievable especially when you convert it; that is close to four years of game time.
Arsene Wenger has been a long-term admirer of the stylish midfielder and has refused to give up on Wilshere. After an impressive loan spell at Bournemouth last season, Wilshere was unfortunate to suffer another Hairline crack in his calf bone in April this year. The injury kept him out for 112 days before he returned and joined up in training with the lads from North London.
He is finally playing at Arsenal but his game time is far from regular. David Moyes, it appears wants to take advantage of the situation.
“You’d hope that if you took a player from another Premier League club it’d be much easier for him to go right into the team and play well,” the West Ham manager said. “Jack Wilshere would be someone who we’d have to look at if he was available.
“I do believe the transfer window could be the difference between relegation and staying up. If we can get the right players, that’s the big part of it.
“I also want to make sure we’re looking at players who’ve got time and who can be at the club for a long period and not just in for a short period. Then there’s also the short-term fix for me which is, how do we get enough wins between now and the end of the season? There’s a balance between that.”
With West Ham United finding their feet under Moyes, he would be hoping to add Wilshere to his ranks.
The common perception regarding the Hammers’ drastic collapse earlier is being reasoned as a lack of balance in the team. The team is too heavily loaded up front with lack of quality midfielders and defenders. So Moyes, who will no doubt want to reshuffle the pack to his whims and fancies and Wilshere could add some much-needed balance.
