The then Barcelona boss made some interesting comments about the England midfielder.
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere in action
Last weekend it was reported that Manchester City were very keen on bringing Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere to the club this summer.
The Sun reported that Pep Guardiola had placed Wilshere at the top of his summer wish-list to build a strong midfield along with fellow new signing Ilkay Gundogan and potentially another new recruit.
Guardiola is known to be a long-term admirer of Wilshere and wants homegrown players to boost the club’s quota for the Champions League.
But what has the incoming City boss had to say about the Arsenal and England star in the past.
In 2011 he was famously quoted as stating, as reported by The Guardian:
“Wilshere is a top player. He is an excellent player, not just Arsenal, but also for the national team.
“[But] he is lucky because we have many players in the second team like him but he plays because there is no pressure at his club to win titles.”
This was widely reported as a dig from Guardiola toward Wilshere and Arsenal when in truth it was not meant in such a way.
For Guardiola to compare Wilshere to a Barcelona second string player is to compare him to a Thiago Alcantara or a Sergio Busquets.
He also made it clear that he feels Wilshere is an excellent player and his comments were more a dig at Arsenal then Wilshere’s quality.
In his appearances against Barcelona for Arsenal Wilshere has often shone and there is little doubt that the incoming City boss will be a fan of his talents.
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