Jack Wilshere signs for West Ham - A tribute for a pure-blood Gunner
Jack Wilshere is a Hammer!
Following the expiration of Jack Wilshere's Arsenal contract, that was not renewed, England international Jack Wilshere became a Free Agent. The rumour mill began to spiral, linking Wilshere to Fenerbache, Wolves and Everton, but he opted to stay in London and sign a 3 year deal with West Ham.
Wilshere joined the Arsenal Academy in October 2001 at the age of nine, following a short spell in the Luton Town youth programme. He rose through the ranks, and at the slender age of 15 he was named the captain of the Arsenal Under-16s. He also made a few appearances for the under-18s team. In the summer of 2007, Wilshere featured in the Champions Youth Cup in Malaysia and upon his return to England, Arsenal Academy coach Steve Bould gave him a start for the under-18s first match against the Chelsea under-18’s He scored his first goal against Aston Villa under-18s in a 4–1 victory. Wilshere then scored a hat-trick against Watford under-18s, to help his side to an Academy Group A title. He finished his first full season with the under-18s with 13 goals in 18 appearances, most of which coming at a young age.
In February 2008, he made his debut for Arsenal Reserves aged 16 against Reading, and he scored Arsenal's only goal of the match, which ended in a draw. Wilshere scored a memorable goal against West Ham Reserves in March under the watching eye of first-team manager Arsène Wenger. He managed to record two goals and two assists in just three appearances for the reserves at the end of the 2007–08 season.
Manager Arsène Wenger gave Wilshere a place in Arsenal's first-team squad for the 2008–09 season, and he was given the number 19 shirt. He made his competitive debut in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in September 2008, as an 84th-minute substitute for striker Robin van Persie. At the very young age of 16 years and 256 days, he was Arsenal's youngest-ever league debutant, a record which was previously held by Cesc Fàbregas. Ten days later, on 23rd September, Wilshere scored his first competitive Arsenal goal in a 6–0 victory against Sheffield United in the League Cup. On 25thNovember 2008, Wilshere came on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv, and thus becoming the fifth sixteen-year-old to ever play in the competition. In January 2009 Wilshere signed his first professional contract and extending it in July the same year.
On 29 January 2010, Wilshere joined Premier League side Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season. He made his first league start in the away match at Manchester City on 9 February, and scored his first Bolton goal, his first in the Premier League, on 6 March 2010 in the 2–1 victory at West Ham United. He impressed at Bolton and they tried, unsuccessfully, to sign him on loan for another season.
Wilshere’s career has always been hampered by injury and during the summer before the 2011–12 season, Wilshere suffered a stress fracture ankle injury during an Emirates Cup pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls, and during the first few months of the injury, Upon having successful ankle surgery, Wilshere's participation for Arsenal was at a minimum. During further rehabilitation, it looked positive for Arsenal and Wilshere, and looked as if Wilshere would heal, well, however, Wilshere was ruled out of the remainder of the 2011–12 season. The injury meant that he did not participate in a single club match all season, as well as the London 2012 Summer Olympics and England's UEFA Euro 2012 campaign.
Wilshere continued his recovery from his ankle injury, which had ruled him out for the whole of the previous season. He made his return to the first team, making his first Premier League start in 17 months, by playing in the win over Queens Park Rangers. He continued to feature for Arsenal, and made six appearances in December, producing another Man of the Match performance against that of West Bromwich Albion. The young midfielder committed his long-term future to the club after signing a new contract, to the delight of Arsène Wenger.
On 28 May, Wilshere's goal against Norwich was voted BBC Goal of the Season with his goal accumulating 42% of the votes.
In November 2014, Wilshere was ruled out for three months following surgery on his left ankle after injuring the ligaments in a 1–2 home defeat to Manchester United.
Wilshere broke his fibula during pre-season training in August ‘15, and was initially expected to be out for up to a few weeks. However, in September, he underwent surgery on his leg and was ruled out of action for a further 3 months.
On 31 August 2016, Wilshere completed a season long loan move to AFC Bournemouth for the 2016–17 season and was given the number 32. On 10thSeptember 2016, Wilshere played his first match for Bournemouth as a 63rd-minute substitute against West Bromwich Albion as they won 1–0. Wilshere then won consecutive Player of the Month awards for Bournemouth for November and December 2016. On 15th April 2017, Wilshere suffered a hairline fracture to his left fibula after his clash with Harry Kane in a match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. On 19th April 2017, it was sadly confirmed that Wilshere would miss the rest of the season after making 29 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth and would be treated back at Arsenal.
During the summer leading into the 2017–18 season, various clubs showed interest in signing the midfielder but by mid-August, Wenger confirmed he had plans for him this season. On 15th September, he made his first appearance for Arsenal since August 2016 as a substitute in the second half against FC Köln in the Europa League, making his long awaited return. On 20thSeptember, Wilshere made his first start in over 16 months against Doncaster Rovers and played for the full 90 minutes.
October 22nd marked Wilshere’s Arsenal Premier League return as a substitute in a 5–2 win over Everton at Goodison Park, assisting a goal for Aaron Ramsey. Wilshere scored his first Arsenal goal on 7thDecember, in 928 days as the Gunners smashed BATE Borisov 6–0 in the Europa League.
Wilshere's performances in the Europa League group stage and an injury to Ramsey saw him start in the Premier League for Arsenal for the first time since May 2016 in the team's 0–0 draw with West Ham United on 13th December 2017. It was also the first time he had completed the full 90 minutes in the Premier League for the club since September 2014. On 3rd January 2018, in his sixth consecutive Premier League start, Wilshere scored his first Premier League goal for two and a half years in a 2–2 home draw with London rivals Chelsea.
On 19thJune 2018, Wilshere announced that he would be leaving Arsenal, following a long and illustrious, yet frustrating career with his contract due to expire at the end of the month. Wilshere signed for Premier League club West Ham United on 9 July 2018 on a three-year contract
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