Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Jack Wilshere, Riechedly Bazoer

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed midfielder Jack Wilshere will be offered a new contract. The oft-injured England playmaker is on loan at Bournemouth until the end of season, but Wenger has insisted Wilshere still has a future with the Gunners.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's Premier League match against Bournemouth this Sunday, Wenger revealed he "plans to offer Jack Wilshere a contract extension around the new year," according to Amy Lawrence of the Guardian:

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The midfielder, on a season-long loan at Bournemouth, will have one year remaining when he returns to Arsenal in the summer and Wenger wants to begin talks in January to retain the services of a homegrown player whose association with the club goes back to boyhood. Wenger quipped that negotiations would not be imminent – 'not before the Bournemouth game' – but he did want to get cracking on talks soon. 'Ideally, yes.'

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Handing Wilshere fresh terms is a slightly controversial call by Wenger, even though the 24-year-old is not lacking for talent.

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Indeed, Wilshere is a marvel on a technical level. He's blessed with excellent touch, impressive close control and a phenomenal change of pace when carrying the ball past defenders.

Wilshere can also pick a pass, specialising in delicately lofted balls between the lines. However, his natural vision is sometimes undermined by a struggle to be decisive on the ball.

The contradictions in his game, along with a raft of injuries that would have wrecked most careers, have rendered Wilshere a player without an obvious position.

Writing for the Guardian, Barney Ronay thinks he has the answer. Ronay eloquently muses on the wisdom of playing Wilshere as a deep-lying creator, the way Roy Hodgson tried to with the England national team.

Yet it's a ploy overlooking, or downright ignoring, Wilshere's qualities in forward areas. Few midfielders boast a pair of feet so quick, or end product as cultured.

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Wilshere just needs to work on the consistency of his game in the final third. Work on not crashing every shot off the post or over-hitting all but a few of his through passes.

It's an arduous process, one Wilshere is labouring through with the Cherries. Statistics reveal the half-sized No. 10 has hit the woodwork four times this season, the most in the Premier League, per Metro's Max Miller.

Still, Wenger has always believed in Wilshere's creative nous. It's something the Gunners are lacking in the middle while mini-marvel pass-master Santi Cazorla is injured.

In fact, James Olley of the London Evening Standard thinks Wilshere might have replaced the Spaniard's ingenuity in possession.

Wilshere merits a return to Arsenal but only if he fixes the areas of his game that need correcting. The midfield berths are crowded in Wenger's squad. Players such as Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin, Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey give the Gunners ample quality in the middle.

So Wilshere won't have a chance to play unless he proves he merits it during the remainder of this season.

Riechedly Bazoer Set for January Exit from Ajax

Wilshere's task may become even tougher if Wenger adds another quality player to midfield. He's said to be interested in Ajax prospect Riechedly Bazoer, a player set to leave in January, according to Voetbal International (h/t TalkSport).

The reports also indicated how the Gunners and Premier League rivals Liverpool have been regularly watching Bazoer. The highly rated 20-year-old will cost £12.5 million to take from Amsterdam.

Things are coming to a head between the player and his club. Bazoer was recently excluded from a UEFA Europa League game against Panathinaikos after refusing to train, per Michael Bell of Football-Oranje.com.

The Gunners have been linked to Bazoer in the past. Back in October 2015, John Cross of the Daily Mirror reported how Wenger was tracking a player he tried to sign three years earlier.

Earlier this month, the Gunners were said to be in talks for the Netherlands international, according to Dutch source AD (h/t Mark Brus of Metro).

Bazoer has been compared to several midfield greats, including Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. A midfielder with Vieira's strength and tenacity, also schooled in the Ajax traditions of classy, possession-based football, would be an asset to any team.

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Arsenal boast enviable strength and depth in midfield, but Wenger still has room to supplement those ranks. Bringing back an improved Wilshere would make sense, but there may not be room for him if Bazoer is deemed too good to miss.