Wilshere: Gunners stars must stay loyal
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has hinted that some of his Gunners team-mates should show more loyalty to the North London club, adding that he would be 'devastated' were skipper Cesc Fabregas to depart.
Both Fabregas and France international Samir Nasri are rumoured to be keen on following left-back Gael Clichy out of the Emirates Stadium exit door, with Nasri touted for a move to Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea and Fabregas once again heavily linked with a return to boyhood club Barcelona.
And Wilshere, who joined the Gunners' academy as a nine-year-old, believes that the club's players need to show their commitment to the Arsenal cause if they are to end their six-year wait for a trophy.
“Loyalty is a big part of football and it shows if you are a real man or not," Wilshere said to the press in Kuala Lumpur as Arsenal commenced their pre-season tour of the Far East.
“There have been a few players who have shown Arsenal great loyalty and hopefully we will get a few more like that. Then we will see if we can get a trophy or not.
“Cesc showed that last year and hopefully a few more players will show it this year."
And with Nasri and Fabregas said to be considering their futures at Arsenal, Wilshere insists the club must do all in their power to keep the current squad together.
“We have got a good team. We know that and we need to keep our big players. If you look at Tottenham, they are fighting to keep Luka Modric. It’s the same for any team – you have to keep your best players. We have to keep ours if we want to win things.
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“Robin [van Persie] has said he would be devastated if we lose Cesc. It’s the same for me.”
Wilshere played the first 45 minutes as the Gunners eased to a 4-0 victory over a Malaysia XI on Wednesday, winning the penalty from which Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring after just five minutes.
Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.