With a brand new five-year deal on the table for Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, supporters are beginning to question whether Arsene Wenger should keep giving the perennially injured midfielder chances to seal his spot when he is actually healthy. This deal for the England international could reach heights close to £31.5 million over the five years if and when he does indeed sign it, but is he worth the risk of such a big investment?
The workhorse midfielder is currently on a healthy *reported* £90,000-per-week, but upon the signing of the new deal he will make upwards of £110,000-per-week, which will put him among the highest-paid players at the club. The last time he played for Arsenal was during pre-season in the Emirates Cup in a match against Wolfsburg before he picked up a leg injury that has kept him out of action ever since.
He clearly has a pattern of getting injured, particularly around his feet and ankles, which obviously are two of the most important components for a footballer to be successful. With his body seemingly breaking down at just 24-years-old, the five-and-a-half year contract is a huge risk from Wenger and his backroom staff.
Other than the goal of staying fit and healthy, Wilshere needs to get back to the form he was showing before his injury and stay at that high level of play for a while in order to make this huge commitment worth it for the Gunners. Before he got injured, he was bossing the midfield, starting attacks, passing and moving well, defending aggressively, and even scoring a few, impressive long-distance goals for club and country, which were all encouraging signs for the Arsenal and England supporters.
That was the Wilshere scouts and fans of the game expected to be seeing at his full potential based on his level of talent when he was a teenager, but the simple sight of Arsenal’s no.10 on the pitch has been a rarity, and he has not always played to the best of his ability when he is involved.
Additionally, Wilshere has been caught smoking by the media multiple times in the past few years, and that is a habit he must kick in order to live up to the expectations this new contract will bring upon him. There were also a few matches where he seemed either tired or lazy, maybe both at the same time. He has to get his fitness and form back quickly before supporters start berating the club for making such a financial commitment to the player who seems to have glass ankles at some points.
Twitter: POLL:
Does @JackWilshere deserve such a big contract offer?
RT – No
Like – Yes#afc (@ReadArsenalFC)
Wilshere is a phenomenal player when he is at the peak of his powers, but his feet and ankles have proved to be his downfall during his long tenure at the club. If he can get on the pitch and stay off the treatment table, he has the capacity to be a legend of the club. If he keeps going down with injuries, he will be seen as a wasted talent, especially based on this deal worth tens of millions of pounds. Arsenal fans have longed to see the England midfielder on the pitch for many months at a time, and if both they and the 24-year-old himself are lucky, he will get over his injury issues, get back to his best, and be on the pitch and in training for a long, long time.
