Wilshere not interested in Arsenal contract talk

Matt Stead

Jack Wilshere insists that he is not interested in discussing a new contract with Arsenal at the moment.

Wilshere made his debut for Bournemouth as a second-half substitute on Saturday, having joined the club from Arsenal on a season-long loan.

It is believed that the midfielder still has a future with the Gunners, and manager Arsene Wenger expects him to sign a new contract before the end of the year.

Wilshere’s current deal expires in 2018, but he insists he is fully concentrated on Bournemouth and on playing regular first-team football.

“I don’t want to talk about that at the moment,” the 24-year-old said of Wenger’s comments. “I’m a Bournemouth player now in my head. I want to help Bournemouth get as high up the league as possible and also for myself I want to play 25 or 30 games.

“I don’t care what people say. The decision was down to me and it was best for my career. I could have sat at Arsenal and just come on now and then. The manager couldn’t promise me I would play now.

“That wasn’t good enough for me. I want to play week in and week out. Bournemouth have given me the opportunity to do that.

“I’ve missed almost 18 months of football and I haven’t played in the Premier League week in and week out for a good time. I miss the Premier League.

“I spoke with the manager and as soon as I met with him I knew I wanted to work with him, to be my coach. It wasn’t what he said, it was the way he conducted himself.

“And after being here for ten days, seeing him on the training pitch, he can definitely improve me. He’s a great coach, he’s honest with you. For me he’s the perfect coach to come and work for.”