Tag Archives: Jack Wilshere

What is happening with Jack Wilshere?

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The gossip around Jack Wilshere’s contract seems to have gone quiet.

Gone are the rumours that we had offered him a deal, gone are the rumours that he was not happy with the deal. It is just silence. A stone wall of silence. And it is odd.

The only thing heard recently is that Everton were willing to hand the Englishman an £8-million signing to join the club in the summer.

Obviously Everton could not yet have offered him this deal, as rules dictate that you can only negotiate with foreign clubs in the last 6 months of your contract. You have to wait until your contract runs out before being able to openly negotiate with domestic clubs (I think).

But realistically, there is no smoke without fire.

This story has probably been planted by Everton to see if there is any interest. To see if the phone rings. To see if one of Wilshere’s gets in touch and says it is a deal of interest, lets talk over an ice cream.

If that is on the table from Everton, it would not be surprised if Wilshere becomes interested. £8m is a lot of money, even for a footballer (2 years wages @ £77k a week).

Ignoring that story, everything at Arsenal and Wislhere seem to be at an impasse.

Arsenal have reportedly told Wilshere he must take a pay-cut on his £110,000-a-week wages if he wants to stay at the Emirates.

But his contract will also give him a chance to increase his pay with bonus payments and appearance money.

This to me seems reasonable. If you do not play, you earn less, if you play, you earn more. With his injury background, it is probably the right decision. The sensible decision.

Football, contracts and sensible do not go together. Whilst football is a short career, it is a well paid career. Gone are the days when a player would play for 20 years and have to be a cabby, or go into construction, or appear on daytime TV property shows. Most top level players now retire and never have to work again.

Saying that, football is about money, about greed. Why would Wilshere accept our offer of lower wages, if he can get the same – or higher – wages elsewhere. Players are no longer loyal.

Whilst what Wilshere wants from Arsenal has never been made clear, speculation is that he wants at least the same, perhaps even more.

And this is the impasse. Arsenal have offered him a sensible contract based on his history (36 Premier League games for Arsenal in 4 seasons), whilst Wilshere wants what he could be offered elsewhere.

Wilshere has managed to stay injury free for the majority of the season. He has played 30 games this season – only Granit Xhaka has played more in the middle of the park. And whilst he has shown some of the best form, that form has also been patchy.

With Aaron Ramsey having just 18 months left of his contract, and Granit Xhaka having struggled to settle in England, Arsenal could be facing a midfield crisis come the summer.

Keenos

Ramsey and Wilshere in stand-off

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Contracts are all about negotiating the best deal for yourself that you can get at the time.

A few years back, Theo Walcott got himself a big new contract mainly due to other senior players around him leaving. He had 8 months left on his deal and with the club already having lost the likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Alex Song, they could not afford to also lose Walcott.

The result was Walcott becomes the highest paid player in the clubs history, all due to the circumstances of the negotiations.

At the moment Arsenal have both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere in a sort of contract stand-off with the club. Ramsey has 18 months left on his deal, Wilshere under 6 months.

Whilst it is the club they are currently in stand-off with, they are actually playing a game of poker with each other, it seems.

At the minute, both are competing for the same position in the starting XI. I read somewhere that the pair have played something like 69 minutes together in the league this season.

This then creates a situation where both players become important to each other when it comes to contract negotiations.

Lets paint the scenario…

Arsenal can not afford to lose both Ramsey and Wilshere. They would prefer to keep both. But if one were to leave before the other has signed a new deal, the remaining player will be in much more of a commanding position to demand higher wages.

If Wilshere continues his stalemate with the club and leaves in the summer on a free transfer, Arsenal could not afford to sell Aaron Ramsey in the same window. Likewise Arsenal would not want to then risk losing Wilshere on a free one summer, then Ramsey on a free the next.

Wilshere leaving would allow Ramsey to almost write his own cheque when it comes to salary.

Then switch it on its head.

Ramsey informs the club that he will not be signing a new contract, and the club start to plan to move him on in the summer. Wilshere gets a sniff of this, and suddenly the club need him to stay. They could not afford to sell Ramsey and lose Wilshere on a free transfer.

Therefore, despite his injury record, Wilshere then moves into a position of strength with his contract.

Whilst both are not signing, neither knows how strong their own hand is. They need the other to decide their own future before negotiating their own one.

Then we have the scenario of if one signs a new contract.

If Wilshere were to sign tomorrow, I am sure the Ramsey one will follow shortly after. The Welshman will still command a huge wage, more than justifiable, but his importance to the club and therefore his negotiating power will be diminished.

Likewise if Ramsey signed at the end of the month, Wilshere will soon sign as the bargaining chip of Ramsey not being at the club will be off the table.

The clubs ideal scenario is that both stay, and compete for the same place.

They might be in a stand-off with the club, but they are actually in a stand-off with eachother as they attempt to maximise their earnings.

Keenos

 

Hopes for Arsenal in 2018…

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To win a trophy

Ultimately, we are in football for the success, the glory, to cheer our team on. Some clubs have a different level of success than other. For Leyton Orient, success is surviving. For Arsenal, it is trophies.

Arsenal might have been out of the title race by December – but so was every other team in England bar Manchester City. That leaves the cups as realistic targets.

Arsenal need to re-prioritise their season away from the league and onto the cups.

A trip to Wembley in March, or at the end of the season. A cheeky flight to Lyon in May. Any of these will do. Because ultimately, it is the winners who are remembered, not who finish second but put the pressure on.

Back the team to its 4th trophy in 5 years (and can we dream of a cup treble?)

Change in leadership

Whether is the manager, the owner, Ivan Gazidis or Vik Akers, something needs to change at Arsenal to freshen things up.

In Gazidis’ defence, he has acted on his summer words and we are about to see a new Head of Football Relations and Head of Recruitment join us in the shape of Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi.

Realistically, Stan Kroenke will not be selling any time soon. And my personal opinion is that I do not want to be a dodgy Russian’s play thing, despite needing £350m investment.

The time is up for Arsene Wenger. Even those who still talk about his success, and the 3 FA Cups in 4 years will agree that he has gone stale.

I hope 2018 will be Arsene Wenger’s last, and that he can leave having bought us further success

Beat Spurs at Wembley

It is the little things that count, and whilst beating Spurs at Wembley will not mean much in terms of league placings, it will reinforce that Wembley is ours.

Keep Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere

I do not care for Alexis Sanchez. He can go away and do nasty things to his dogs. But recently both Ozil and Wilshere have shone.

Ozil has returned to form and, perhaps with the limelight on him rather than Sanchez, people are realising the good work he does.

Jack Wilshere meanwhile is still on the road to recovery.

I would be concerned about giving him the mooted 5 year – £100,000 a week contract, but would not be upset if he signed a new 3 year deal.

Just remember when it comes to Wilshere, if you are calling for him to have a new contract, and he breaks down again, do not blame the club that he is “stealing” a wage, as you wanted him to get the new deal.

Spend some f*****g money

We might not have £350million to spend, but we are by no means paupers.

Hopefully this summer with Mislintat and Sanllehi at the helm, we actually buy the players we need, and act clinically in the market. It might not be enough to overhaul Manchester city, but better to try and fail, then not try at all.

 

What wishes do you have for 2018?

Keenos