West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that Hammers midfielder Jack Wilshere is a £100million player.
The England international crossed London to join West Ham from Arsenal this summer on a free transfer, and Pellegrini is excited to have him back involved after recent injury problems.
“Players of the quality of Wilshere at this moment can cost £100million, £90million, £70million,” he told the Daily Mail. “Good creative midfielders are very expensive.
“We took the risk and it has not been a good few months for him but we have the second part of the season and I hope he will play most of the games. In football, the most important thing is the quality. That you cannot buy – you either have it or you don’t.”
OPINION
Wilshere is not a £100million player, let’s make that very clear. If he was then he would still be wearing the red and white of Arsenal now rather than giving the West Ham team doctor extra business. Pellegrini is more making a point about the talent that Wilshere has, of course. The Englishman has always been extremely gifted and, it’s true, players with his skill set do go for a lot of money these days. However, it’s not just about how talented you are. If you can’t stay fit, like Wilshere, then you’re never going to command that type of transfer fee. Wilshere needs to focus on his fitness and ensure that he nails down a starting spot in this West Ham team moving forward. He was one of the team’s worst players in the early part of the season so he needs to discover his best form and get playing regularly again. He is incredibly talented – not £100million worth of talent, mind – and if he can put it all together then he will be a big player for the Hammers in the second half of the campaign.