A lot has been said over the past week or so about Jack Wilshere’s surprising season-long move to Bournemouth. According to reports, Wilshere was contacted by the likes of AC Milan and AS Roma before the 24-year-old decided to stay in England and continue his career at Vitality Stadium.
Ahead of his competitive debut for Bournemouth this weekend, we explore three reasons why Wilshere was right in snubbing the European powerhouses and signing for The Cherries this season.
Game Time
Even without his long list of injuries Wilshere would have struggled to get in to Arsenal’s first team this season. With likes of Xhaka, Cazorla, El Neny, Coquelin and Ramsey ahead of him, Wilshere was no better than a sixth choice midfielder for Arsene Wenger.
Whereas for Bournemouth he will be the first name on Eddie Howe’s team sheet as well as a leader and easily their most skilled player. Wilshere will have enough time to revitalize his career which has been on a downward hill for last 3-4 seasons.
International Acceptance
Perhaps the biggest reason behind Jack Wilshere’s decision to say in England was to continue fighting for his place in Sam Allardyce’s England squad. It was not a surprise for me to see Wilshere join Bournemouth within 24 hours of being snubbed by Allardyce.
Wilshere understands that he needs to be in Big Sam’s eyes all the time to prove his worth for the national side. Moving abroad would not attract the same spotlight on Wilshere which could even lead to an “out of sight .. out of mind” circumstance for the English midfielder.
That is why Bournemouth came at the right time for Wilshere which will give him enough time to bring his club as well as international career back on the track.
Bournemouth’s Style of Play
Eddie Howe has earned a reputation of playing an attractive brand of football with Bournemouth which is more or less similar to Arsenal meaning Wilshere would not need to alter his playing style this season.
On the face of it, Wilshere’s decision looks a lot wiser than initially thought and for once we must credit the gifted midfielder for his decision of turning down the offers from AC Milan and AS Roma to join Bournemouth on a season long loan.