Paul Merson has questioned Arsene Wenger’s decision to allow Jack Wilshere to leave Arsenal and join Bournemouth on loan for the rest of the season.
The 24-year-old sealed the move on deadline day, and will now hope to secure regular football with Eddie Howe’s side to get his career back on track after injury woes and a lack of consistency in recent years.
However, Merson isn’t convinced that it’s the right move for either party, and envisages bigger problems presenting themselves further down the line.
“This is not a case of Wilshere needing to play football, there are a lot of other players at Arsenal who need to play football,” he told Sky Sports.
“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t kicked a ball, Theo Walcott has barely kicked a ball and they haven’t been on loan anywhere.
“You’d have to ask whether Wenger fancies Wilshere, that would be my question to him. Does he fancy him as a player and does he trust him as a player? Because there are other players at Arsenal who haven’t performed and they haven’t been out on loan.”
The former England international made almost 300 league appearances for the Gunners during a 15-year spell at the club after coming through the youth ranks, and continues to keep a close eye on matters at the Emirates.
He added that Wilshere’s love for the club could also be tested during his spell away from north London, while if Arsenal start to lose games and the England international excels with the Cherries, the pressure will then be on Wenger for making the wrong decision.
There are several question marks on both sides after the move was confirmed, and only time will tell as to whether or not it works out for them.
Moving to Bournemouth seems to make sense for Wilshere as he will not want to sit on the sidelines at Arsenal for the rest of the season, and provided it’s with the mentality that he’s trying to prove that he does have a future at Arsenal, then it could be the best decision for all concerned.