Can Arsenal Afford to Sell Their Home-Grown Heart Jack Wilshere?

When Arsene Wenger handed Jack Wilshere the No. 10 shirt, he probably envisaged the midfielder becoming absolutely integral to the team. Having been raised at the club’s academy, Wilshere seemed like a future Arsenal captain in the making. However, things have not gone entirely to plan since then, and these days Wilshere would be delighted if he could just nail down a regular place in the first XI. That begs the question: Could Arsenal afford to cash in on their home-grown hero?

It’s not the first time the possibility of Wilshere leaving Arsenal has been mooted. Earlier this summer, Paul Hetherington of the Daily Star suggested Wilshere could be a target for moneybags Manchester City. He wrote:

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Jack Wilshere is torn over his future – giving Manchester City hope they can clinch a £40million deal.

Wilshere loves playing for Arsenal and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is fuming at City’s pursuit of the England midfielder.

But England’s two-goal hero in Slovenia is understood to be concerned at how many matches he’ll start for Arsenal next season.

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That lack of playing time is a genuine worry for Wilshere. Arsenal are very congested in the middle of the park, with no obvious spot for the England international in his preferred position. Wenger seems set to name one of Santi Cazorla or Aaron Ramsey alongside Francis Coquelin at the base of the midfield. Higher up the pitch, Wilshere may wear the No. 10 on his back but it is Mesut Ozil who will be handed that prime playmaking role behind the striker. Wilshere’s best chance of regular football may come on the flanks.

It’s a troubling state of affairs for a player once perceived as the future of the club. Ever since breaking into the side as a teenager, Wilshere’s potential has been obvious to all. However, a combination of injuries and ill-discipline have slowed his progress significantly. There have been flashes of brilliance, but he has not yet been able to produce that kind of form on a consistent basis.

If Arsenal are not making frequent use of Wilshere, they could be tempted to cash in. The Premier League’s home-grown quotas mean that English players are sold at a huge premium. City have already paid £49 million for Raheem Sterling, and who’s to say they wouldn’t pay a similarly exorbitant fee to secure Wilshere’s services?

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The reality is that Arsenal probably could afford to sell Wilshere. With the likes of Ramsey, Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the squad there’s certainly enough quality and depth in the midfield to withstand his loss.

However, perhaps more importantly, the Gunners can also afford to keep him. With the financial pressures decreasing, Arsenal are able to hold on to players on high salaries as squad players, resisting overtures from rival clubs in the process. As long as Wilshere is happy to stay at the club, it would make no sense for Arsenal to allow a born-and-bred Gunner of Wilshere’s undoubted talent to leave. After the investment they have already made in developing him, it would be sickening to see him fulfil his potential elsewhere.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.