Jack Wilshere announces he’s leaving Arsenal

Jack Wilshere, out of a contract at the end of this month, has announced on an Instagram post that he will not be re-signing with Arsenal and will be signing with a new club this summer:

A couple things to note from his post:

1) His entire second paragraph essentially confirms what many had assumed up to this point, that the amount of playing time he desires and the commitment on that end that new head coach Unai Emery could guarantee were so diametrically opposite that it made the decision for Wilshere to seek greener pastures a very easy one to make, because...

2) The rumors that he was offered an incentive-based contract extension were accurate as well, based on his post. That he was willing to accept this offer (which, as he notes, was made “recently”) means that whatever conversation he had with Emery led him to believe that he’d be in no position to ever hit the incentives within the contract itself.

At any rate, Jack Wilshere’s career at Arsenal will largely be remembered for lost potential due to debilitating injuries within a player who inherently possessed loads of talent. This is the right move for both parties, if one is being honest and objective about the situation, and while many won’t miss his wayward runs into multiple defenders while lacking the ability to play the safe pass to an open teammate, or his once-a-match fight with an opposing player or two (or three. Or four) he will be missed. In some capacity, or another. Yeah.

So long, and farewell, Jack Wilshere. Good luck wherever you go. Just don’t go deliberately flying into challenges without any intent on actually getting the ball against one of our players in this season or there after.