Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has claimed that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will “certainly” be offering midfielder Jack Wilshere a new contract.
The 34-time-capped England international has found himself on the fringes of the Gunners’ squad, and was shipped out on loan to Bournemouth for almost the entirety of last season.
He made 29 appearances for the Cherries and contributed two assists before a broken leg, one of a number of serious injuries suffered throughout his career, ruled him out of the final fixtures of the season.
The 25-year-old, who is a graduate of the Arsenal youth academy, has just a year left on his contract, and has been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with West Ham and AC Milan made joint favourites to secure his signature by SkyBet.
However Keown, who turned out 322 times for the Gunners, believes that manager Wenger will be offering Wilshere a new contract, having supported him for the entirety of his professional career.
The 50-year-old told the Mirror: “They certainly will offer him a new contract.
“I would feel he is someone Wenger would try to keep. Somebody that he will try to support.
“He will try and protect him as best he can but what the player needs is luck.”
During his time at Arsenal, Wilshere has gone on to appear in 160 matches, scoring 12 goals and notching up 24 assists.
However, injuries have curtailed his career, with ligament damage followed by a broken leg limiting him to just 10 Premier League starts for the Gunners since the 2014/15 season.