Featured Video
USMNT's Most Important ๐Ÿ’ช
Arsenal's Jack Wilshere controls the ball during an Europa League round of 16, first leg, soccer match between AC Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Friday, March 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Arsenal's Jack Wilshere controls the ball during an Europa League round of 16, first leg, soccer match between AC Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Friday, March 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Jack Wilshere Confirms He Will Leave Arsenal When Contract Expires in June

Timothy Rapp
Jun 19, 2018

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere confirmed Tuesday on Instagram that he would be leaving the club once his contract ends in June.

Wilshere, 26, appeared in just 20 fixtures (12 starts) in Premier League play for the Gunners in the 2017-18 season, scoring a goal and adding three assists. His 6.82 average match rating from WhoScored.com was 15th on the squad and trailed behind midfield options likeย Henrikhย Mkhitaryan (7.35),ย  Aaron Ramsey (7.27), Mesut Ozil (7.25), Granit Xhaka (7.02) and Alex Iwobi (6.88).

Early in his career, Wilshere seemed primed for stardom. He made his professional debut at 16, his first appearance for the England national team at 18 and delighted Arsenal supporters withย a scintillating performanceย against Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League, aged 19.ย ย 

But injuries have hampered Wilshere in his career since, and he's never reached the form that made him, at one time, both the future of English football and one of the most promising young midfielders in all of football.ย 

Under new managerย Unai Emery, Wilshere's place in the team was in question. The team has more talented attacking midfield options in Ozil and Mkhitaryan, while Xhaka and Ramsey remain andย Sampdoriaย defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira is reportedly being pursued, according to Italian media (h/t ESPN FC'sย Mattias Karen).ย 

And Arsenal appears keen on shaking things up this summer, with goalkeeper Bernd Leno's signingย confirmedย on Tuesday by the club,ย Stephan Lichtsteinerย already confirmedย and Sokratis Papasthopoulosย reportedlyย heading to the club, per theย Evening Standard's James Olley, all in an effort to shore up the defense. If Arsenal want to make additional additions, at some point they'll need to make subtractions as well to help balance the books.

With that in mindโ€”and Arsenal's other potential options in the midfieldโ€”it appearsย Emery didn't envision a role for Wilshere going forward. It's a dim finish to what started as a bright and hopeful tenure in North London.

USMNT's Most Important ๐Ÿ’ช