On Sunday, 30-year-old ex-Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere signed a contract with Danish club Aarhus. Jack left for the north until the summer of 2022, the agreement can be extended for another year.
Wilshere was a hero in London
The last time Wilshere took the field was a year ago – in the Championship. In May 2021, his contract with Bournemouth ended, and since then the footballer has been looking for a new club. In the summer, he contacted Como from Serie B, but there was no chance to sign a contract: an EU passport was needed for the application, and Brexit let Jack down. Since autumn, the midfielder has been training with his native Arsenal and worked at the academy, through which he himself went. There were suggestions that he would sign a short-term contract with the club: Wilshere even flew to the winter training camp in Dubai, but the contract option was still not considered.
“First of all thanks to Jack, it was great to have him working with us,” Mikel Arteta said after Wilshere signed with Aarhus. – I hope we helped him a little too, our players every day gave him a sense of how great it is to be a football player. He has come a long way, but has not lost his spontaneity and sense of humor. It’s part of Jack, but obviously he’s matured a lot. I 100% see an opportunity for him to return to Arsenal as a manager. Everyone in the club would be ready to find a role for him. I think it might happen naturally in the future.”
Desperation to sign for a club
It sounds optimistic, but every interview of Jack during the period without the club was marked by desperation. “Today I was running and wondering how my career ended up in this position. My children are at an age when they already understand what is happening. Especially Archie – he’s nine. He asks me what about MLS and why I don’t play in La Liga. And it’s hard to give him an answer. He will ask me: “Why doesn’t a single club want to sign you?” I do not know. How can I explain this to him? he told The Athletic last summer. In the same interview, Wilshere said that he was unlikely to play in England: “When I go out on the street, people recognize me. And the most difficult thing is to try to explain to them why everything is as it is. They say: “Listen, why don’t you go to some English club?” And I’m like, “Well, no one needs my services.” And they cannot understand how this is possible.
I have said before that I am ready to play abroad. I would even like it. I want to start all over again where no one thinks: “Oh, this is Wilshere, today he will get injured.” Where no one thinks: “He will play five matches – and that’s it, it’s a waste of money.”
I have a feeling that in England the doors are closed in front of me. I don’t know why it happened. Perhaps it’s about injuries and reviews from previous jobs. I think it’s unfair. I have not been injured since January 2020. Everyone thinks about my ankle, but there it was not even about him. My next step isn’t about making money, it’s about how I feel. I liked playing football, I liked going out with Arsenal to the Emirates. And I want to get back the feeling that I have something to fight for.” As a result, Jack will try in Denmark. We will continue in the next part.