West Ham United will have known when they picked Jack Wilshere up on a free transfer in 2018 that they were taking a huge risk. While the east London outfit did not have to fork out a substantial fee to bring him to the London Stadium, they foolishly offered the 32-cap England international a three-year deal, despite the myriad of injury issues he has suffered from throughout his career. Even despite his continued problems since arriving, the club appears determined to make the deal with the 28-year-old work.
Throughout his career Wilshire has missed a staggering 1,347 days of action, totalling over three and a half years; an astonishing stat considering he is just 28 years old. For West Ham United alone the England international has been unavailable for 52 matches in under two seasons and continues to be sidelined with a groin injury. He has not featured since October, and there is still no return date in sight for the central midfielder.
While it is incredibly unfortunate that the Englishman’s body has not been up to the task with both Arsenal and the Hammers, the situation has now reached a stage where the relegation candidates must consider cutting their losses on a player who has brought very little to the table.
In total Wilshere, valued at £7.2m (Transfermarkt), has made a meagre 14 Premier League appearances for the Hammers and he has been trusted to play 90 minutes on just six occasions in the English top-flight, as per WhoScored. Yet despite his continual issues, the England international is still receiving a wage believed to be in the region of £100k a week, totalling £5.2m per year, as per Spotrac. For a club that revealed staying in the Premier League is “an absolute necessity” they cannot afford to throw money away on a player who is having little to no impact whatsoever on the pitch.
Wilshere has provided just one assist in his 506 minutes of action in the Premier League since joining West Ham, as per WhoScored, and the London club have won only one match when he has featured this season. The ex-Arsenal man has become a significant financial burden on the club, and they must alter their stance towards keeping him at the London Stadium.
