By Tony Attwood
So Jack is on the way out, after a long wait before confirming. He leaves in 10 days time.
He is said to have stated that he was leaving because, “playing time would be significantly reduced” under the club’s new manager, Unai Emery. Fit and at his best he was an utterly magnificent player, who I am sure every one of us who watched him, will remember always.
In his time at Arsenal he won the Youth Cup, the FA Cup twice (2014 and 2015), and the Community Shield. He won BBC Goal of the season two seasons running (2014 and 2015) and Arsenal player of the season in 2010/11. Here are the details
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | Games | Goals | |
| 2008/9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2009/10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010/1 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 49 | 2 |
| 2011/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012/3 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 2 |
| 2013/4 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 5 |
| 2014/5 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 2015/6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016/7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2017/8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 38 | 2 |
| Total | 125 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 40 | 5 | 197 | 14 |
“I’m feeling fit, sharp and strong and will be working tirelessly to ensure I am in peak condition ahead of the new season. I’ll now be taking the time necessary to consider my options before deciding on the next stage of my career. I would like to place on record my respect for Mr Emery and my appreciation for his honesty and candour, and I wish him, the team and the club all the very best for the future.”
Jack also spoke warmly of Arsène Wenger and all the manager did for him, and gave tribute to “everyone at the academy for helping me to fulfil my dream and of course the fans, who I have always shared such a special relationship with.”
So moving on to Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen for apparently an initial €22m but perhaps with extras depending on success. This will then raise questions about Cech or Ospina or maybe both (see below).
Still outstanding is news on Lucas Torreira and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Stephan Lichtsteiner has of course already signed.
Here is the list before any signings. I have highlighted Jack as leaving and five other players who I suspect will leave or go on loan.
| No | Player | Contract end | Last loan | HG |
| 1 | Aaron Ramsey | 6/30/2019 | Y | |
| 2 | Jack Wilshere | 6/30/2018 | Y | |
| 3 | Rob Holding | 6/30/2020 | Y | |
| 4 | Calum Chambers | 6/30/2020 | Y | |
| 5 | Danny Welbeck | 6/30/2019 | Y | |
| 6 | Hector Bellerin | 6/30/2023 | Y | |
| 7GK | Deyan Iliev | Y | ||
| 8GK | Matt Macey | 6/30/2018 | Y | |
| 9 | Laurent Koscielny | 6/30/2020 | ||
| 10 | Henrikh Mkhitarian | 6/30/2021 | ||
| 11 | Andre Lacazette | 6/30/2022 | ||
| 12 | Mesut Özil | 6/30/2021 | ||
| 13GK | David Ospina | 6/30/2019 | ||
| 14 | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 6/30/2021 | ||
| 15 | Nacho Monreal | 6/30/2019 | ||
| 16 | Shkodran Mustafi | 6/30/2021 | ||
| 17 | Granit Xhaka | 6/30/2021 | ||
| 18 | Saad Kolasinac | 6/30/2022 | ||
| 19GK | Petr Cech | 6/30/2018 | ||
| 20 | Mohamed Elneny | 6/30/2020 | ||
| 21 | Alex Iwobi | 6/30/2020 | Y | |
| 22GK | Emiliano Martinez | 6/30/2021 | Getafe | Y |
| 23 | Carl Jenkinson | 6/30/2018 | Birmingham | Y |
| 24 | Cohen Bramall | 6/30/2018 | Birmingham | Y |
| 25 | Lucas Pérez | 6/30/2020 | Deportivo | |
| 26 | Joel Campbell | 6/30/2018 | Real Betis | |
| 27 | Chuba Akpom | 6/30/2019 | Sint-Truidense | Y |
If my guesswork is right that is 27 listed, but five dropping out, making 22. With the incoming four of Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, and Leno (if all four sign) we have 26 meaning one more player has to leave before we can contemplate any more purchasing, and after that it is one in one out.
We have five goal keepers listed above, and a number of promising under 21s as well as the incoming Lemo. So at the very least I would say two of those keepers have to go, either through being sold or through going on loan. It could be more as the tradition is that one of the four keepers in the squad is a youngster showing promise who is getting experience of being in the first team squad.
But let’s end with the statement from Arsenal.com on Jack. I thought it was rather well written…
For your love, for your commitment and fighting spirit, for THAT Norwich goal, for the FA Cups, for the 2013/14 goal of the season, for the 2014/15 goal of the season, for the 197 appearances, for the 17 years and for just being you… THANK YOU.
- Arsenal get their keeper and pundits behave like 10 year olds
- Untold predicts England’s score exactly using simple but slightly scientific method
- Why is VAR being criticised so thoroughly, but the lack of FA refs not being mentioned?
Does ‘HG’ column indicate Home Grown?
What about le Jeff?
HG = Home Grown
So sad to see Jack leave but somehow not surprised. The players around him bring a different dimension to midfield and attack to the one best suited to Jack.
Rare it is that a player will accept a wage reduction in order to stay at a club as Jack did.
If we had in England the openness the of the refs association and FA, that other countries enjoy, would Jack have had so many injuries?
Eventually VAR will come to England in the meantime all we can do wait and see if the ‘New Arsenal’ will bring about a new PIGMOL. Come Christmas we should have the answer to that.
A review of the playing staff is always worth thinking and writing about.
Arsenal.com is our one true source of information on the playing staff.
The site is our one true source for news of the non playing staff who work for and with the team.
Several with long service have been shown the door marked ‘do one’.
There are a few (I am glad to say Steve Bould is among them) who are staying. ere
There is a list of those who have been shown the welcome door.
The ones that Gord referred to make up UE’ personal management team.
Take time to check them out.
Mmmm yummy.. there’s a beautiful aroma of ambition emanating from Arsenal again now that his holiness Mr Lord and saviour Wenger has ascended into heaven. Good times, exciting times.
@Max,
Le Jeff is still under the age 21 cut-off as regards the 25 player listing. He is one of a group of players who ‘s immediate future will be decided during pre-season. They could be kept at the club as part of the first team squad but playing for the U23s, loaned out for further first team experience, or sold (probably with a sell on clause so that if they do develop considerably and their value increases significantly the club will get a slice of the sale fee).
Not so sure it was a wage cut he was prepared to take maybe less than he asked for in the negotiations.
The club said that jacks offer was incentivised and could earn him a considerable amount more than his existing contract, so for him to say that it was a ‘financially reduced contract’ is just wrong. If he wants to win games then he’d have the mindset that he’d get a lot more than the basic salary.
I like him a lot and really would prefer him to stay but there are very few players that justify guaranteed playing time and he’s not in that group yet. Maybe he could become that good if he stayed and fought for playing time, but instead he’ll move to a midtable team where the squad quality is thinner and he can get back into the first team quicker when he comes back from the inevitable injuries.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/6580107/arsenal-sacrificing-jack-wilshere-indulging-mesut-ozil-ultimate-humiliation/ – Another disgusting attack on Ozil.
I am a bit concerned at the transfer policy that is emanating from Arsenal at the moment and with the club seemingly now run by a committee it is hard to ascertain just what is going on. All I can hope for is that I will be proved wrong!
We seem to be buying or are on the verge of buying/linked players who are past their best who would/should be considered as not good enough for Arsenal and more suited to an average premier team. Take the talk of interest in certain Man U and Chelsea players, all elbows and trips and at the same time the club seem quite happy to say bye to Jack .Why? Even if he did not go to the WC he is still one of the best English midfield players and in spite of the hype on the England team at the moment there is no skillfull midfield player in the squad. I know that that pressing or push and shove is at the moment deemed the answer to genuine skill but this will be a passing phase and has been put forward in the past.
Remember the Billy Wright era and the argument over Eastham or Barnwell? We were told that the skillfull inside forward (Eastham) was outdated and the future was in strong energetic players(Barnwell). The truth was/is there is room for both but history recalls Eastham far more than John Barnwell who in his own way was a good player.
Let us all hope that the committee does know just what is is doing and gets it right and for the good of Arsenal I will be proved wrong.
I’m not sure the club is run by a committee in terms of deciding who to buy – only the organisation of the purchase and contract. But the impression I get was that the deal offered to Jack did not change from the deal offered under Mr Wenger. All that changed was that Mr Emery said that he would not play Jack in every game as he wanted to manage his physique and reduce the chance of injury. Jack thanked him for being so honest and open, but decided he wanted to have a chance to play every week.
NuttinTiddy, ignore the gossip. So much of it is obvious ‘agent driven’ tripe.
Jammy, yes another vile and disgusting personal attack. However it is only what I expect from the vile and disgusting Sun bogpaper.