Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Jack Wilshere and Ricardo Rodriguez Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he wants Bournemouth loanee Jack Wilshere to stay at Arsenal his entire career. Wenger also revealed what he thinks Wilshere's best position is.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his team's upcoming home game against Southampton, per BBC Sport, Wenger confirmed Wilshere still has a future at Arsenal: "He is a world-class player, he doesn't have to show me his quality. I hope personally that he stays his whole career here."

Those words represent high praise from a manager who agreed to let Wilshere join the Cherries for this season on transfer deadline day. The move naturally raised doubts about Wilshere's long-term future with the Gunners.

After all, the England midfielder is now 24 years old and has suffered a spate of injuries in recent seasons. It's why Wenger insists he's so keen to guarantee Wilshere games this season.

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The Frenchman revealed how that desire was the driving force behind the surprise decision to loan the playmaker out: "We had a chat together. He felt ready to play. I couldn't guarantee that and it looked logical to give him time—the challenge is to play the games."

It makes sense Wilshere would find playing time hard to come by in an Arsenal squad amply stocked with talented midfielders. Wenger has players boasting different skills for every role he needs to keep the Gunners strong in the middle.

Summer arrival Granit Xhaka offers brawn, aggression and an astute radar for long passes from deep. Meanwhile, January signing Mohamed Elneny boasts an engine and eye for a pass that fit well in Arsenal's brand of possession-based football.

Santi Cazorla's technical quality, intelligence and discipline make him close to the perfect deep-lying playmaker. Further forward, Mesut Ozil has the flair to unlock any defence. Finally, Francis Coquelin adds a tough tackler to the group, while Aaron Ramsey is the box-to-box runner with a knack for scoring.

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One reason Wilshere has no obvious place in this group is because he has no obvious position. It's an issue Wenger believes has one answer, per the club's official site: "He is most dangerous when you give him the ball in the final third. For me, it was always a shame when he played too deep and too close to the goal because I like him where he can create."

The manager has a point when you consider Wilshere's impressive technical quality, along with the ability to dribble past markers. His left foot can also be a good source of defence-splitting passes and thunderous shots, even if Wilshere needs to add more end product to his game.

Yet, his impact up front was noticeable during the 2013/14 campaign. He often started on the right but was given a free role as part of a skilled midfield quintet operating off and around target man Olivier Giroud.

Wilshere's creative temperament dovetailed well in combination with Cazorla and Ozil's class, as well as Ramsey's energetic dynamism. The England international helped himself to five goals and four assists, according to WhoScored.

Wilshere has often been played deeper at international level, specifically by former England manager Roy Hodgson. But it's a role that wastes his core talents.

Wenger's renewed show of faith in Wilshere is an important boost for a player whose career appears to be at a crossroads. It comes just days after Daniel Cutts of the Sun reported the Gunners have already started negotiating a new three-year contract extension for the midfielder.

Justifying that level of investment demands Wilshere not only stay fit at Bournemouth, but he must also finally establish himself as an influential attacking midfielder. That should mean setting career-best numbers for both goals and assists.

Ricardo Rodriguez Reveals Why he Stayed at Wolfsburg

Switzerland left-back Ricardo Rodriguez has revealed why he turned down a move to the Premier League this summer. The defender believes he's worth his £21.2 million release clause but insists his faith kept him at Wolfsburg, per an interview with Swiss publication Blick (h/t PA Sport, via Sky Sports): "I guess it was just meant to be this way. God wanted it this way."

Rodriguez was strongly linked with the Gunners in early June. In fact, Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs told German source Kicker (h/t the Daily Mirror's James Whaling) Arsenal would have to pay the full release clause to sign Rodriguez.

It was a move the Gunners opted against making, no doubt due to their existing choices at the position. Both Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs are credible full-backs who offer a lot going forward. Monreal is the starter since he's more defensively resolute.

Not playing has left Gibbs considering his future, per Mike McGrath of the Sun. Yet Arsenal will have to look beyond Rodriguez, whose contract runs until 2019, if they decide to replace either Gibbs or Monreal in the near future.

It won't be Gibbs' future that stays in the minds of Arsenal fans this season, though. Instead, all eyes will be on Wilshere's form for Bournemouth.