Merson questions Arsenal over Wilshere loan deal

Joe Williams

Paul Merson doesn’t think Arsenal should have let Jack Wilshere go on loan to Bournemouth for a whole season.

The Cherries snapped up Wilshere on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day despite reported interest from Crystal Palace, Roma and AC Milan.

The injury-prone England international will hope to revitalise his career with Eddie Howe on the South Coast after only making 17 Premier League appearances over the last two seasons.

TV pundit and Gunners legend Merson thinks Arsene Wenger could regret letting the midfielder stay until the end of the campaign, especially if Wilshere makes a big impact at the Vitality Stadium.

“When you go out on loan, when I was around, you went for a month or for two months,” Merson told talkSPORT.

“A year is a long time. Who is to say he can’t rip this up in the next month and win Player of the Month in the Premier League?

“Then Arsenal are sitting there, they have just lost two games, and all of a sudden it is: ‘What are you doing letting Jack go for that long? Why is he going for a year?’”