Jack Wilshere had almost extended his contract with Arsenal in 2018 but Unai Emery told him to leave.
This was when Arsene Wenger had left after his 22-year golden Arsenal era, and with his legacy, he only left Unai Emery behind to take control of the Gunner. When Wilshere was offered a new contract at Arsenal before Wenger left, when Emery came in, he told the 28-year old that there was no space for him at Arsenal.
“I got offered a new deal at Arsenal,” recollected Wilshere.
“I obviously had a year left and even into January I was playing in the team and there were still no discussions happening. Then finally the discussions happened. I got offered a new deal and I wasn’t really happy with it.
“I’d have conversations with Arsene and he was doing all he could for me. We sort of got to the point where we’d almost agreed it and I was almost ready to sign.
“Then the news came that Arsene was leaving and I just thought: ‘How can I sign a new deal at a club that is based on appearances? I need to play to get a decent amount of money with a manager who I don’t know if he likes me’.
“I wanted to see who was going to come in and then when Emery did come in I wanted to sit down and have a conversation with him.
“He said to me: ‘If I was you I would leave, you’re not in my starting XI’. He had plans to buy a midfield, I think he bought [Lucas] Torreira and a few others and I wasn’t in his plans. That was the moment when I decided.
With everyone leaving, Wilshere also decided to leave the Gunner.
“A lot of people who I’d grown up with, the staff, the physios, my friends basically [had left] – it felt like the club was going in a different direction and I decided to leave.
“I was part of Arsenal, it’s a massive club and I was a big part of it, it was difficult. It was a sad time to leave and even now I look back and think: ‘Yeah, that was a tough time’.”
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