Arsenal: The Events That Caused Jack Wilshere to Lose Respect for Samir Nasri

Back in August, when Samir Nasri had signed for Manchester City on a deal worth £24 million, Jack Wilshere had been magnanimous.

Not two months removed from his exhortation that Nasri, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas stay on at Arsenal for the 2011-12 season, Wilshere did not begrudge his most recent ex-teammate his change of destination when the transfer went through.

In fact, Wilshere came out and wished Nasri the best via Twitter, thanking him for all he'd done to aid his development during the three seasons they'd spent together at Arsenal.

But that tweet was met soon after with a response from Wilshere's teammate, Emmanuel Frimpong, who etched his name into Arsenal lore with this addendum to Wilshere's initial tweet of "@JackWilshere: Good luck to my friend @Nanas08 (mr Nasri) learnt a lot from him. World class player! Will be missed!"

Frimpong's response?

"Pffffff comeon Jack".

It was a statement from the Ghanaian Frimpong, who appeared to take the view that if Nasri did not want to be with Arsenal, then he did not deserve a well-wish and show of support for his future endeavors.

If Nasri found it in his best interest to remain in the Premier League, where he would face his former team a minimum of twice a season, then why applaud him?

We saw just how much Frimpong thought of Nasri after Arsenal met Manchester City in a Carling Cup match in November.

The two grappled throughout the match and were seen face-to-face after the final whistle, engaged in a heated argument before an alleged bust-up in the tunnel as the two made their way to the locker rooms.

Ever a keen observer—it's one reason he's such a force in midfield; few read the game better than he—Wilshere would have observed the events during that Carling Cup match, not to mention Nasri's comportment toward the Arsenal fanbase all season. (Wilshere missed this season to injury.)

Upon finalizing his deal in August, the French midfielder said he was headed to the Eastlands to join a team "that could win trophies" and remarked that even the training sessions with City were more intense than those he'd experienced at Hertfordshire.

None of that went over well with Frimpong or Arsenal fans, who took every possible opportunity to boo and rain criticism upon the man they'd once hailed as 'Super Sam'.

Nasri took notice. He seemed to step up his criticism of his former club every time he was subjected to less-than-rosy receptions from Gooners. (He faced Arsenal three times this season.)

Finally, it appeared Wilshere had had enough.

The backlash reached a crescendo on Wednesday, when Wilshere responded to Nasri's well-publicized mockery of Arsenal's third-place finish in the league standings.

"I hope they are watching me now collecting my Premier League winner's medal," Nasri said. (City wrapped up the title with a victory over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.) "I believe they have not won a trophy for many years now. (Arsenal last won silverware, the FA Cup title, in 2005.)

"I now hope the Arsenal fans can get on with their lives and forget me, they should celebrate their third-place achievement and I will focus on winning titles."

Wilshere did not wait long before firing back a response to Nasri's loaded and goaded words.

It marked the first occasion he had publicly hit out at his former teammate. A remarkable turnabout when viewed in light of his Twitter salutation only eight months before.

I don't know what goes on in his head," said Wilshere. "Fair play, he has won a trophy, but over the next couple of years our goal is to win a trophy and I can see us winning a trophy.

"Maybe he spoke too soon and hopefully we can rub his face in it next year."

It speaks to Nasri's handling of the situation that Wilshere responded through the media. The young Englishman, while known for having a fiery on-pitch demeanor, does not lash out in the press.

For Nasri, he made an exception. It was a long time coming, and you can bet it drew a smile from Frimpong.