Arsenal Transfer News: Jack Wilshere Trouble Ignites Marco Verratti Rumours

Arsene Wenger has plenty of food for thought. With defeat to fierce rivals Tottenham fresh in the memory, the Arsenal manager may be wondering if he'll ever get the best out of Jack Wilshere, a player who has once again brought his career under the spotlight with a smoking incident away from the pitch, reported by Izzy Horsefield of the Express.

Various outlets are suggesting the Englishman will be sold, with Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti gaining the most momentum as a potential replacement. He is a player Wenger has "long admired" according to the Daily Star, but he could potentially cost in the realm of £40 million after becoming a key midfielder for club and country.

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The Italian star—who loves to break-up play with hard-hitting tackles—would certainly offer a readymade alternative to Wilshere. In terms of reaching their potential, Verratti is streaks ahead of the Englishman at the current time.

Wenger has reportedly "lost patience" with Wilshere, noted by the Daily Star (h/t Simon Osborn of the Metro). This has allegedly led Liverpool to becoming "favourites" for his signature, with Brendan Rodgers looking to find a "long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard," who joins LA Galaxy at the end of the season.

Frustration continues to grow around Wilshere's career. Earlier in the season he showed what an excellent ball-playing midfielder he can be, both for the Gunners and England. His career-long flirtation with injury has struck again, however, limiting the consistency of his influence and forcing many to question whether he'll deliver on the tremendous natural ability he possesses.

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The recent photo of Wilshere holding a shisha pipe, not to mention previous images capturing him smoking cigarettes, only ups the annoyance. People are taking notice, not least those within the club, according to Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph, who spoke to Sky Sports' Sunday Supplement show:

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I think the sense was that they are not very happy behind the scenes (at Arsenal), that they’re pretty exasperated. I think it's because it has happened a few times—he’s had a few of these off-field things. And he’s been injured a lot, although he is due back this month.

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B/R UK's Stan Collymore and Ryan Bailey recently discussed issues surrounding Wilshere:

Across the channel in Paris, a potential Arsenal star continues to go about his business in an enthralling manner. Verratti's overzealous, all-action style is at least endearing, despite him picking up eight cautions in 25 appearances across Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, per WhoScored.com.

Interestingly, he manages one key pass to Wilshere's 0.8 each match this campaign, not to mention a superior pass accuracy of 91.4 percent compared to Wilshere's 81.8 percent. Verratti is a more dogged tackler, grabbing the ball with an average of 2.5 times each display, with Wilshere offering 1.2 successful tackles when he steps onto the pitch. The Arsenal man is capable of so much more.

Wenger would undoubtedly have to spend big to lure such a starlet, however. Verratti's powers are growing at 22, while it's fair to say Wilshere's continue to stutter at 23. He is the type of individual who can regularly win points for Arsenal when he's able to steer clear of distractions, and indeed, remain fit.

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Unfortunately, such a feat is yet to be achieved. Wilshere is no longer a youth who can expect to get away with mistakes—he should be an integral part of Wenger's plans—and could take inspiration from the player reportedly being lined up to replace him. Verratti is a troublemaker on the pitch, the kind supporters love.

While it seems unlikely Wenger will opt to cash in, Wilshere's irritations are starting to outweigh his contribution. Arsenal have long-needed a naturally combative central midfielder who is comfortable in possession, so it will be interesting to see whether the manager continues to keep faith in his under-fire player.