Jack Wilshere's Bournemouth Loan Move Is a Last Chance to Make It with Arsenal

Bouremouth fans wondering how on earth their club have managed to land a star like Jack Wilshere could do worse than thank Sam Allardyce.

It seems the new England manager’s decision to omit Wilshere from his first squad precipitated the player’s loan move—it surely can’t be coincidence that within days of missing out on the England roster he was pushing for a temporary switch away from the Emirates Stadium.

However, in his search for regular football, the midfielder has taken a huge risk. In an attempt to save his international career, he has placed his club career with Arsenal in considerable jeopardy.

Make no mistake: In leaving Arsenal on loan, Wilshere is gambling with his Gunners future. The stakes are high. He needs an excellent campaign with the Cherries to demonstrate he deserves a place with a Champions League club.

Wilshere will hope he has taken one step backward to enable him to take two forward. However, he has stepped on to a slippery path. There aren't too many senior players who've moved on loan only to return to Arsenal and succeed.

If he fails to make a positive impact at Bournemouth, it’s difficult to envisage how he could be a success in north London.

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However you care to look at this situation, it’s unlikely Wilshere ever imagined playing for Bournemouth as part of his career plan. With the exception of a brief loan spell at Bolton Wanderers as a teenager, the midfielder has been a one-club man. He appeared destined for a glittering career at Arsenal.

Unfortunately, injuries have got in the way. There’s no doubt about it—Wilshere’s struggles are almost entirely down to his protracted fitness problems. Perhaps they have played a part in his decision to go out on loan.

In order to maximise his playing time, the 24-year-old needs to know that when fit, he’ll start. At Bournemouth, he’ll be an automatic pick. At Arsenal, it’s an entirely different story.

Wenger has stronger midfield options now than he has had for some time. In January, he added Mohamed Elneny to assuage an injury crisis. Since then, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla have returned to fitness. In the summer, Granit Xhaka was purchased to bring his brawn and brilliance to the middle of the park. 

Xhaka’s arrival immediately spelled trouble for Wilshere. The acquisition of a left-footed playmaker who enjoys a tackle suggested Wenger had learnt his lesson, and he was no longer relying on the brittle Englishman to be regularly available. 

Although he has made the bench for each of Arsenal’s three league games thus far, and come on in two, it’s difficult to see him jumping ahead of Xhaka, Coquelin, Cazorla, Elneny and Aaron Ramsey in the queue for a starting place. Wenger is understandably reluctant to build his team around a component that could crumble at any time. 

Until recently, he has maintained enormous belief in the player. Per David Hytner of the Guardian, Wenger said in April:

"

At the moment I believe he’s [got] a real football brain. He loves football. He’s very serious, very dedicated. I invite you to come in every day to watch him work, and you will understand that he’s very, very dedicated.

The only thing that could stop him from having the career he can make is injuries. He has the history of injuries. It’s been bad recently. But I hope he can get rid of that and make the career he deserves.

"

Wilshere’s football brain has been let down by his body time after time. Now, he has moved to the south coast to try and prove he is durable enough to thrive in the Premier League.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

The deal was reportedly agreed in a tense phone call between player and manager shortly before the transfer deadline. According to Neil Ashton of the Sun:

"

Arsene Wenger told Jack Wilshere he is playing for his Arsenal future in a tense phone call before he left on loan.

The Arsenal boss reluctantly let Wilshere join Bournemouth after heart-to-heart talks on Monday. 

But he was left in no doubt his move must work out if he is to revive his career at the Emirates.

"

Bournemouth seems like a sensible choice. Wilshere would doubtless have had many suitors across Europe, but given his desire to reclaim his place in the England setup, it made sense to choose a domestic club.  

The Cherries make sense. They play attractive football with a passing style that should suit Wilshere’s game. His decision will also surely have been influenced by the presence of two particular individuals: Benik Afobe and Eddie Howe. 

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Howe is a highly regarded young manager, who has even been touted by the Mirror’s John Cross as a future Arsenal boss. Afobe, meanwhile, is a fellow Gunners academy product who has found a new home on the south coast.

Speaking to Justin Allen of the Sun, Afobe said of Wilshere:

"

He knows Bournemouth are the right club for him to progress with his future.

This was a decision he made that was right for his career. He is my best friend but I also know how much hard work he puts in. And we’re inspiring each other. For example after training today we went to the gym together and did a bit … it’s motivational for us both as well. 

Jack is a top England international and he’s where everyone wants to get to – but he will also learn from us because he knows at 24 he’s not the finished article. 

He told me he liked Eddie Howe because he felt he could improve him.

"

Wilshere must be hoping that Howe and Afobe can coax his best form out of him.

The good news is that he’s likely to be afforded the chance to play in his best position as a central midfielder. At Arsenal, Wilshere had grown accustomed to making cameos on the flanks. Playing out of position will do little to help a player desperately hoping to rediscover his form and rhythm. 

He’s unlikely to challenge for major honours with Bournemouth. There’s no guarantee he would have done with Arsenal, but certainly that’s where Wenger’s ambitions will lie.

It’s telling that in a season when the Gunners boss is under enormous pressure to deliver silverware, he felt he could afford to let Wilshere leave; his stock has fallen dramatically. 

Back in May, Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph reported that Arsenal were set to offer Wilshere a lucrative contract extension. Over the course of the summer, that talk faded. According to the dates in the piece, when the midfielder’s loan spell with Bournemouth ends, he will have just 12 months remaining on his Gunners deal.

That will put him in a very precarious position. At that stage, Arsenal will be forced to make a decision on whether to hand him a new deal or countenance selling their once-prized academy product.

Wilshere’s performances at Bournemouth will directly determine his future. If he can find fitness and form, he could still make the grade at Arsenal. If not, his time will surely be up.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.