According to reports, young starlet Jack Wilshere is on the brink of being offered a new contract with Arsenal in an attempt to fend off advances from any other clubs.
Injuries to Cesc Fabregas and Aaron Ramsay have given Wilshere the chance to make an impact on the first team in recent weeks and he’s been ever-present since the start of the season. He was even voted September’s ‘EA Sports Player of the Month’ by Gunners’ fans from around the world.
Jack only signed professional terms with the club in February 2009 but his contract was upgraded only five months later when the management saw what potential he had. So, before young Jack had even appeared once for the first team, he had signed a £20,000-per-month, 6-year-long contact with Arsenal. Wenger and his crew must have really seen something in the teenager to offer such a hefty contract to such a young, inexperienced player.
But now, with attention on the 18-year-old growing every day, it looks like Arsenal are set to offer Wilshere an even larger contract. Reports state that as part of a new progressive deal, Wilshere can expect to rake in £40,000-per-month if he agrees to the new deal Arsenal are planning to table. Not only does this signal Arsenal’s strong desire to hang on to the young playmaker, but may also be further evidence of the impending departure of our top earner next summer – Cesc Fabregas. But that’s in the future, so let’s no concern ourselves with ifs, buts and maybes for now.
It’s clear that Jack is receiving more media attention now than at any other point in his short career. He recently completed 90 minutes in England’s U-21s victory over Romania on Friday and, along with Kieran Gibbs, is now set to join the senior England squad for the match against Montenegro on Tuesday. While gaining as much experience as possible is vital in the development of any young player, I’m hoping Arsenal and England are careful not to overexert Jack in the coming months and years. We’ve seen with some players in the past, most recently Micheal Owen, that rushing the development of young players can sometimes lead to long-term injury problems. I’m hopeful this won’t be the case, and Wenger is undoubtedly a natural at developing youngsters, but it’s a point worth noting nonetheless.
What’s more worrying than burning-out young Jack before he’s barely left secondary school is the effect the media has on him. Too much premature fawning over a player’s abilities can be very dangerous, and it takes a person with a cool level head to avoid being hampered in the long run by such sycophantic reporting. A perfect example of this is with Wayne Rooney. He had a very successful season last year with Manchester United but the British media, being as it is, insisted on blowing smoke up the balding scouser and proclaiming him as virtually the world’s best player. I realise Rooney has other matters on his mind at the moment other than the love the media once had for him, but when a player is elevated beyond their level, they’re only being set-up for a mighty fall.
This is why I’m calling for fans, critics and Gooners alike not to overstate Jack Wilshere’s talents quite yet. Let’s understand him for what he is – an 18-year-old with masses of potential but a young boy who still has a lot to learn about the game and fame that comes with it. And let’s hope we see him in the red and white of Arsenal for a lot longer than the six years he’s currently signed for.
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