It could be said that Manuel Pellegrini has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to Jack Wilshere and, despite being cautioned about the 26-year-old’s injury prone record, the Chilean still offered him a three-year deal. According to various media reports, the board weren’t as sold on the idea and were only in favour of giving the former Arsenal man a one year contract but that didn’t stop them backing Pellegrini and allowing the West Ham manager to seal the deal by offering 36 months instead of 12.
Sadly, you don’t need a fortune teller when it comes to Jack Wilshere as the midfielder’s injury problems are well documented and a quick look back over the past ten years will show you that Wilshere could be considered a high-risk asset- he’s spent more time on the treatment table than on the field in recent years. It’s easy to see why Pellegrini felt strongly about bringing Wilshere to the London Stadium because on his day he’s a very, very good player, especially for a club like West Ham. The problem is, however, that those days are becoming so few and far between and his impact on games certainly isn’t what it used to be.
Wilshere’s latest ankle injury suffered in training during mid-September meant he would go under the knife and be out for six weeks. It would be a concern for the board as it only took four league games for Wilshere to be sidelined due to injury and on £100,00-a-week wages, this is exactly the type of scenario they would have been desperate to avoid.
Coincidentally, the game the Hammers were without Wilshere at Goodison Park against Everton would be their first league win of the season. The Hammers were due a win and maybe that’s a stat that doesn’t quite do Wilshere’s contribution in the league justice but it does support the idea that his start at West Ham has been far from ideal.
While the 26 year old has been injured, it’s fallen on others- primarily the talismanic Marko Arnautovic, to keep the Hammers going. Wilshere said in an interview earlier this month that the Austrian is as good as any striker he has played with. There’s no getting away from the fact that Wilshere has played with some of the world best and that high praise shouldn’t be lost on West Ham fans.
Keeping the Austrian will be a priority for the Hammers after reported interest from Manchester United. It’s been a disastrous few weeks up at Old Trafford as their Premier League winner odds 2018/19 are now at 94/1 on the Betfair exchange and if Mourinho is still in the hot seat come January, he could decide to swoop for the 29-year-old. Needless to say, Arnautovic is vital to any hopes West Ham have of turning this season into a successful one. Wilshere too could also play a part and everyone connected to West Ham will be hoping that is the case.
The first priority will be to get fit again and then back into the team, from there Wilshere has to start turning in those world-class performances he is capable of. As far as being in his prime goes, Wilshere could be a few years away still given how young he is. If ever anyone needed a career-changing break and prolonged injury-free run, it’s Jack Wilshere.
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