Will Arsenal lose Jack Wilshere in January? According to Steve Nicol, yes.
Speaking to ESPN, Steve Nicol believes that Jack Wilshere is “definitely” leaving Arsenal in January, but does not know where the midfielder will end up.
The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from Arsenal during the summer after returning from his season-long loan at Bournemouth, with West Ham and Newcastle linked with a move.
However, the England midfielder wound up staying in North London but first-team opportunities haven’t been regular and he has only managed 25 minutes of Premier League football this season.
Most of his football has come in the Europa League, where he has offered glimpses of his undoubted quality during the group-stage campaign, but his lack of appearances domestically has prompted suggestions that he could leave his boyhood club when the January transfer window opens.
And former Liverpool man Nicol believes that he will certainly leave.
He told ESPN: “Jack Wilshere has to leave Arsenal because he’s not going to play. We saw when he went to Bournemouth and he wasn’t exactly a regular there. This is a real connundrum.
“The guy absolutely has qualities but do we see it enough and does he get on the field enough? Listen, it’s a strange one. He’s definitely leaving Arsenal, but to where it is, I’ve no idea.”
An exit seems very possible.
All of the speculation seems to centre around whether Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are going to be Arsenal players beyond January, with their contracts expiring next summer, but Wilshere will also be a free agent by June, something which has perhaps gone under the radar a little.
It’s a World Cup year and Wilshere’s hope of making that squad hinge on whether he leaves in January.
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