Fully fit Wilshere capable of filling Cazorla void at Arsenal

The thrilling 3-3 draw between Bournemouth and Arsenal last night will surely go down as one of the games of the season. It had everything; the shock of the hosts racing into a deserved 3-goal lead, a stunning goal from Lucas Perez to set up a nail-biting finish, a controversial red card and an injury time leveller.

For the neutral it was a real treat, while fans of both clubs were put through the mill at various stages of the match. In which group one onlooker currently sits was unclear, with the game marking the visit of Jack Wilshere’s parent club to the club with which he is beginning to enjoy a notable loan spell. It meant that the midfielder was ineligible to feature on Tuesday night and while it came to pass that the Cherries didn’t exactly miss the England international, his impact on the side has been impressive regardless.

When Wilshere took the decision to spend the season on loan with Bournemouth many were surprised but to him it seemed the most logical fit, and it’s proving to be a wise move. Having turned 25 on New Year’s Day he needed the guaranteed playing time that apparent suitors Roma couldn’t offer, and the sort of team that could play to his strengths where Crystal Palace would arguably come up short.

He could have taken the easy option and stayed in London, be that with Arsenal or the Eagles, but instead made the bold step to move to less glamourous surrounds as proved so successful early in his career at Bolton. The chance for a quieter life off the field and out of the spotlight has once again seen Wilshere begin to make the headlines for the right reasons.

Never any doubt that he had the quality to play for a club of greater stature than Bournemouth, the Cherries’ philosophy under Eddie Howe was an understandable draw to Wilshere, who is now an integral player for a club that should have genuine designs on a top half finish. While that may seem an uninspiring situation for a player that promised so very much, a raft of injury woes meant that Wilshere needed to start afresh and put his fitness first.

In that sense - touch wood where Wilshere is concerned - his current circumstance is ideal right now. Having made his debut for Bournemouth as a substitute against West Brom, he started without completing the 90 in his next four outings as Howe wisely opted to ease the injury-plagued midfielder into action.

Other than the two meetings with Arsenal since the Cherries' 6-1 drubbing of Hull in mid-October, Wilshere has not only started but finished all but one league game. Left out from the off against Burnley over the busy festive schedule, Howe both recognises how important the middle man is to his side but also that he can’t push his luck. The two games with the Gunners have actually come at the right time - ahead of December and after it - in representing opportunities for Wilshere to rest.

Despite said breaks in action, it’s meant that the England man has played more minutes for Bournemouth this season (1165) than across the previous two campaigns in the league and Champions League combined for Arsenal (1060). In fact, in his six and a half year Premier League career, over an eighth of his playing time has come in a four-month spell on the south coast.

It seems unlikely that he will stick around in his new surroundings beyond this season, that’s for sure, despite the fact that Howe and Bournemouth would like nothing better than to keep him. After all, the team’s record with and without Wilshere in the starting line-up is in stark contrast, averaging 1.54 points per game when he has been in the XI this season compared to just 0.71 when he hasn’t.

Arsene Wenger has made it abundantly clear that he wants the 25-year old to renew his contract at Arsenal before returning to the club in the summer. The Frenchman even compared his situation to that of Steven Gerrard when his Liverpool career was in doubt, challenging him to show his loyalty to the club that has provided his footballing education since he was a boy.

The Arsenal manager, after all, will need a long term replacement to Santi Cazorla before long, with the Spaniard now 32 and with his contract winding down having had lengthy lay-offs in recent seasons. Wilshere, along with Aaron Ramsey, would seem the most logical player to step up from within, with Coquelin, Xhaka and Elneny the deeper lying midfielder in a double pivot. With Mesut Ozil’s future also thought to be in doubt given his contract demands, there could even be a vacated space in the number 10 role that Wilshere has operated in for much of this season and seemed destined to flourish early in his career.

From that position he leads the way for Bournemouth this season in terms of key passes per game (1.5), successful dribbles per game (2.3) and through balls per game (0.3). While he has played from a more advanced position than Cazorla, those statistics are still among those that Wenger would value in a replacement for the Spain international.

The issue as far as Wilshere is concerned is that he became a space filler at Arsenal rather than a player that commands a specific role in the side. He’s played both wide and in a variety of roles through the middle but needs to nail down a starting berth in a favoured role. While he’s playing further forward again at Bournemouth, his place in the side at Arsenal should he return remains unclear.

He’s proven for both club and country that he can play in a deeper role in midfield and still provide a creative outlet for the side. While that doesn’t bear out in the stats - his lack of direct contribution to goals will understandably always be a stick with which to beat him - Wilshere is still often at the heart of attacking moves without making that final pass himself.

That much is important to a side like Arsenal. Providing the ammunition to the likes of Ozil and Sanchez to make that telling contribution in the final third is crucial after all and Wilshere has a knack for keeping possession in dangerous positions. While it’s uncertain whether or not he will extend his contract at Arsenal, he’ll surely only do so with a guarantee that - fitness permitting - he will see more minutes. Having taken one step forward in his career with the regular action that Bournemouth have offered, he certainly can’t afford to take two back.