Jack Wilshere says it would be “a dream come true” to return to Arsenal, but acknowledges it is unrealistic at present.
The former England midfielder has been a free agent since leaving West Ham United at the start of October, with a year still to run on his three-year deal with the club.
He is in Dubai currently, training at the NAS Sports Complex, as he bids to maintain his fitness if any club does agree a deal with him.
On Tuesday, the former England striker Darren Bent suggested Arsenal should resign Wilshere, who spent seven years with the London club’s academy, and then 10 years in the senior side before leaving in 2018.
Arsenal have gone more than seven hours without a goal in open play in the Premier League, and sit 12th in the table.
Bent believes Wilshere has “got that creativity” to help revive Mikel Arteta’s side, and that he would jump at a move to return because “I know how much he loves the club”.
“I’m not saying give him a normal contract, but on a pay-as-you-play, I’d take him back tomorrow,” Bent said on UK radio.
“He’s only 28, a pay-as-you-play deal makes sense.”
Wilshere says he feels he has unfinished business at Arsenal, but thinks “that ship has sailed”.
"Growing up I was a West Ham fan, but because I was in the [Arsenal] academy for so long, you lose that," Wilshere told The National.
“I wasn’t like a normal kid. I was very lucky to be in such a good academy, and I learnt to love Arsenal.
“It was my dream to play for Arsenal and win things with them. And I did.
“I don’t feel like I’ve completed my time there, but at the same time, I’m realistic enough to know the club has moved on, and they have different ideas.
“Obviously, it would be a dream come true, but I think that ship has sailed, and it is time to look at different things.”
Wilshere believes Arsenal already have a solution to their lack of creativity, in the form of their out-of-favour German playmaker Mesut Ozil.
“I don’t know what has gone on there, but when you look on, it is crying out for an Ozil-type player,” Wilshere said.
“Especially with the quality they have up front, with the likes of [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Alexandre] Lacazette, players who would thrive of someone like that.
“I think Arteta knows what he is doing. He has a plan, and it is going to take some time and I think he will get there eventually.”
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
