Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has revealed that he would have stayed at the club if Arsene Wenger did not leave, according to a report on Goal.
The Englishman has a very close relationship with Wenger and was ready to remain with the Gunners until the Frenchman decided to call time on his Arsenal career.
Wilshere eventually decided to join London rivals West Ham United but is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.
The 26-year-old believes that Wenger would have assured him of a first team place if he stayed, something that new boss Unai Emery did not do.
Wilshere said:
If Arsene had stayed I would have stayed because of the influence he had in my career and the trust he had in me.
He gave me the armband and respected me a lot. So, I had pretty much agreed to stay. And then he left and that changed things. Arsene had said to me previously ‘stay and fight your way back into the team’. Because I knew Arsene and knew he had trust in me, I knew I could do that and fight my way into the team.
But things were changing at the club and they were going into a new era and maybe it was time for me to leave as well.
Emery could not promise to give Wilshere enough first team action and that ultimately led the midfielder to leave the club during the summer transfer window.
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