Wilshere Needs Bournemouth Experiment to Reap Rewards

AC Milan were interested. Roma even agreed terms with the player. All in all, 22 teams had been credited with an interest in Jack Wilshere, with Bournemouth ultimately winning the race to secure his services on a season-long loan. When it became apparent that the England international was available for the campaign, a host of teams unsurprisingly registered an interest. The last time the midfielder went out on loan was as a promising teenager back in 2010 to Bolton. The Cherries, at the time, were in the midst of their second consecutive season in League Two. 

“I had a good chat with the manager and feel sure this is the best place for me to play and develop this season,” Wilshere said upon the move. The deal feels like a last-chance-saloon for the England international who, at 24 years of age, needs this loan move to work if he is to fully realise his potential. Following a successful stint with Bolton in the 2009/10 season, then manager Owen Coyle pleaded with Arsene Wenger to allow him to keep Wilshere at the club. Wenger resisted the temptation to send him back on loan having been impressed by what he saw of the midfielder. 

Indeed, the following season, Wilshere started 31 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games. It was the same campaign he played a starring role in the Gunners’ 2-1 Champions League win over Barcelona, with many touting him as England’s next great midfielder. Injuries, though, have since robbed Wilshere of the chance to cement his place in the Arsenal and England starting XI. Sam Allardyce left him out of his first England squad on Sunday, which perhaps convinced Wilshere he needed to secure a temporary move away from the north London side. 

The summer arrival of Granit Xhaka, coupled with the performances of Mohamed Elneny, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla, meant his position in the team in the deep-lying playmaker role in Wenger’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation was in more doubt than ever. At Bournemouth, however, Wilshere is sure to be considered first choice when fit. He may have only registered 37 minutes of top-flight action this season, but he’s shown the potential that he can return to his best with regular game time. The Premier League minutes have been few and far between in recent years, though, with Wilshere playing only 2,630 minutes of a possible 10,350 (25%) since the start of the 2013/14 campaign. 

Yet at Bournemouth that figure should rise significantly, fitness permitting. Eddie Howe implements a similar possession-based approach to Wenger with his Cherries outfit and it’s here where Wilshere can thrive. Top quality options in the middle of the park are few and far between at the Vitality Stadium. For all of Harry Arter, Lewis Cook and Andrew Surman’s tenacity, they lack the quality and dynamism of Wilshere. That being said, the latter will undoubtedly carry out the necessary physical duties that come with performing in the middle of the park.  

A pass success rate that has sat consistently in the region of 86% at Arsenal is certainly commendable and his ability on the ball will remain a crucial asset for Howe. Taking into account the on-loan midfielder has played a key pass every 53.5 minutes since the 2014/15 season, with Bournemouth as a whole creating a chance every 12.3 minutes this term, an injection of creative quality from midfield is exactly what Howe and his team needs as they aim to haul themselves out of the bottom three. 

The move presents a risk to Wilshere and both clubs, of that there is no doubt. Rather than opt to move to Italy, following in compatriot Joe Hart’s footsteps, and remain out of the spotlight to an extent, Wilshere will face the pressure of the limelight by swapping the bench at the Emirates Stadium for a regular starting spot on the south coast. The easier approach would have perhaps been to go to Rome, where the presence of Kevin Strootman, Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan and Leandro Paredes would have meant Wilshere was far from guaranteed regular action under Luciano Spalletti. 

Milan’s ongoing decline may also have had an adverse effect and at least in the Premier League, Wilshere can maintain a standard that means if his loan move is a success, he can return to Arsenal ready to make a second go at consolidating a regular starting spot. As Wilshere heads into the next phase of his career, he needs his experiment on the south coast to pay dividends or he runs the risk of wasting his talent, with a career that promised so much delivering relatively little thus far.

How do you think Jack Wilshere will fare for Bournemouth? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below