Permanent deal for Jack Wilshere ‘possible’, admits Bournemouth chairman

Wilshere arrived on the south coast in August, joining on a season-long loan from Arsenal after it emerged he would struggle for first-team football under Arsene Wenger.

The midfielder has worked his way into the starting line-up at Bournemouth, with boss Eddie Howe praising the 24-year-old’s impact on the team.

And chairman Mostyn admitted the club would love to keep Wilshere beyond this campaign, though he concedes that the player’s heart lies back in London.

"I think anything is possible. The best we can do is integrate Jack into the team and help him fulfil what he wants,” said Mostyn, as quoted in the Evening Standard.

"Whether or not we will go beyond a season, I think everything is possible.

"You have to be realistic and Jack may well consider his home to be back at Arsenal. If that was the case then we couldn't disagree with his decision - and the decision will be his.

"But if there is a possibility and Eddie Howe decides that he's somebody he wants to keep, it will be up to him.

"He will have to persuade [owner] Maxim Demin to unload a huge treasure chest in order to keep him. That would be the $64m question - it may even be the £64m transfer fee!"

It’s too early to say where Wilshere’s time will be better spent next season.

It feels like he’s been around forever, but he’s still only 24, so it could be that a prolonged spell – beyond one campaign – at a club where he’s all-but guaranteed a starting spot will benefit him even more in the future.

The question remains whether Wilshere will ever be able to slot seamlessly back into Arsenal’s setup. Under Wenger, that does not seem likely, but if bookies-favourite Howe replaces the Frenchman, then Wilshere would be a welcome and familiar face for the young manager to fall back on.

Give it six months of injury-free football and we’ll all have a better idea of where Wilshere’s future lies.