Jack Wilshere confirms he will leave Arsenal ‘for football reasons’, despite offering to take a pay cut
The 26-year-old made the revelation via his official Instagram page
Jack Wilshere has confirmed he will be leaving Arsenal after 17 years at the club.
In a lengthy post on his Instagram account, the midfielder admitted he had to leave the club ‘for footballing reasons’ after multiple meetings with new boss Unai Emery.
The 26-year-old revealed he wanted to take a pay cut in order to extend his stay in north London, but a move to pastures new is now on the horizon.
Although the England international (who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad) has not revealed where he will be playing next season, he has interest from both the Premier League and Serie A.
He said: “Following a number of extensive conversations with those at the club, and in particular a recent meeting with the new manager Unai Emery, I felt that I was ultimately left with little choice but to make the decision that I have to purely footballing reasons.
“As has been widely reported I, along with my representative, have been in talks with the club for a number of months with the view to signing a new contract to extend my stay at the Emirates.
“My intention throughout these discussions has always been to remain an Arsenal player.
“I have been on the books at Arsenal for 17 years and have always felt part of the fabric of the club.
“Such was my desire to stay that I had in fact recently agreed to sign a financially reduced contract in order to commit my future to the club.”
After bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old, Wilshere went from strength to strength with the Gunners.
After a short loan spell with Bolton Wanderers, Wilshere was voted into the 2011 PFA Team of the Year, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year and the Arsenal Player of the Season along the way.
However, injuries have continued to dog his career at the Emirates.
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After a largely unsuccessful season with Bournemouth in the 2016-17 season, Wilshere returned to his parent club with a view to proving his form and fitness in time for the World Cup and with a view to earning a new deal.
However, it appears he has fallen short of both of those goals and will be plying his trade elsewhere as of next season.
Check out the full post below.