ARSENAL accepted finishing in the top four as success in the past, but disgruntled players often confronted Arsene Wenger when they sold big stars - according to Jack Wilshere.
Now, the former Gunners midfielder believes Mikel Arteta can lead the club to their first Premier League title since 2004.
Wilshere – now 32 and manager of Arsenal’s U18s – broke through at the Emirates as a 16-year-old wonderkid just four years after Wenger’s Invincibles league triumph.
In the years that followed, the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie all left due to a lack of ambition in challenging for trophies and the title.
Despite that, Wenger maintained Arsenal as a top four club, qualifying for the Champions League for nineteen consecutive seasons between 1998 and 2017.
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However, Wilshere says that came at a price, explaining: “Being totally honest, as a group of players we knew that fighting for for the top four was our level.
“Manchester City had just come through, spent a load of money on the likes of Nasri and Adebayor. Manchester United were still there with Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand.
"We knew that we were always going to fall short.
“It was difficult for me at that time to listen [to the Invincibles comparisons].
"That was going on, but there were never any conversations between players where we questioned why Arsene was coming out with lines like ‘top four is a trophy’.
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“I remember celebrating top four as success. It was difficult for fans to understand that because of the Invincibles.
“I remember one of my first pre-seasons and it was the year that Adebayor left, Kolo left. We were in Austria.
"I wasn’t part of the conversations but Fabregas, Van Persie, Nasri, Gallas going to Arsene and asking: ‘What’s going on? Where are we going with the club?’
“During my time at Arsenal, there were always those questions – where is the Patrick Vieira? Where is the Thierry Henry? Where is the Tony Adams? Where are the leaders?
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“Especially when we threatened to drop out of the top four, and rightly so. We could have done with someone to grab us in those tough moments.
“While we were losing big personalities, we did replace them. We still had quality players, but were we challenging for the league? Probably not.”
One of Wenger’s most controversial sales was Van Persie to rivals Manchester United in the summer of 2012 for around £30m – one that still stings the Arsenal fan base now.
Wilshere continued: “I was surprised that Wenger let Robin van Persie go. I was disappointed but, being completely honest, that is probably the trajectory that Arsenal were on at the time.
“Robin knew that we weren’t going to challenge for the Premier League title for a few years.
“The reaction from the fans was quite visceral and rightly so. It was understandable. It hurt and there were definitely conversations between players about what was actually going on at the club.
“The hurt surrounding Robin’s departure was more of a personal one, because we knew him so well. He was the captain. He was a good leader and he set high standards.
“As much as it hurt, he made the right choice, because he won the league that year.”
Wilshere was at Arsenal when Arteta joined as a player on 2011 Deadline Day from Everton, and his first interactions with the Spaniard convinced him of his leadership qualities.
Speaking on Simon Jordan’s Up Front podcast, Wilshere said: ““When Mikel Arteta came to Arsenal, you could tell straight away that he was a leader – he was different.
“I was injured and in a boot when he joined. On his first day he asked me: ‘How long are you out for Jack?’ It was as straight as that. He told me I needed to hurry up and get back.
“He was very much an arm around the shoulder, empathetic kind of person. However, I remember him having heated discussions with other team members from time to time.
“He could be both types of leader; we saw that with how he dealt with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in the documentary.
“He is so intense. He cares so much. I think he can [win the league at Arsenal]. He will eventually, whether that’s this season or next season.”
Asked whether Arsenal bottled the league last season – giving up an eight-point lead on Manchester City – he added: “I wouldn’t say that.
“Everyone was saying: ‘No one is going to catch City or Liverpool’. Now we are in the conversation and getting stronger. There are still some hurdles to face like last year.”
***Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bpVNYCLY28***
