On Jan. 2nd, Mohamed Elneny will leave Arsenal to join up with the Egyptian squad for the African Nations Cup. He is certain to be absent until Jan. 25th, but if his nation reaches the competition's climax he'll be gone until at least Feb. 5th. Elneny's absence comes at an awkward time for Arsenal -- as with a frantic festive fixture list, including the start of the FA Cup, the energetic midfielder would surely have proven useful to Arsene Wenger across this period. One can't help but wonder if Jack Wilshere, currently stationed on loan at Bournemouth, wishes he was there to take advantage of Elneny's absence.
When Wilshere lost his place in Sam Allardyce's first (and ultimately only) England squad, he determined that he had to leave Arsenal for the good of his career. First-team football was the requirement, ideally in the Premier League -- meaning Bournemouth won the race ahead of Italian giants like AC Milan and Roma.
In terms of pure game time, the move has worked well. Wilshere has figured in every Premier League game since the closure of the transfer window, bar one -- the match against Arsenal for which he was ineligible to play in.Â
His international experience and continental reputation have made him one of the senior figures at Bournemouth -- he's a leader on and off the field, and seems to be relishing the responsibility manager Eddie Howe has lavished upon him. Wilshere was Bournemouth's star performer in their Boxing Day defeat to Chelsea, serving as the chief instigator of Bournemouth's attacks, dribbling with menace at the Chelsea defence whenever possible.
However, his influence has yet to convert into much tangible reward. Including his two substitute appearances for Arsenal at the outset of the campaign, Wilshere has made 16 Premier League appearances in 2016-17. Thus far, he hasn't scored a single goal, and has recorded just one assist. For a player operating as the most advanced of Bournemouth's midfield trio, that's not an impressive record.
Jack Wilshere has played regularly and stayed healthy at Bournemouth but has yet to score for the Cherries. It's certainly not one to have Wenger's scouts sending rave reports back to London Colney. The most positive aspect of Wilshere's performances to date is that he's managed to avoid injury. However, his record is average and were he not on loan from Arsenal, he'd be flying well below the radar.
In Wilshere's defence, he's not surrounded with the same calibre of talent he was used to at the Emirates Stadium. After all, Benik Afobe is not quite Alexis Sanchez. However, that was the choice Wilshere made when he insisted on trying his hand at a lower level.
Perhaps he would have been better served by staying at Arsenal and fighting for his place. There is real uncertainty over Arsenal's best central midfield pairing, and a fit and focused Wilshere would surely have stood a chance of capitalising on that situation. Wenger agreed to let Wilshere go based on the vast amount of talent at his disposal, but the Gunners have already suffered significant injuries to Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. Throw in Elneny's international commitments, and it is clear that Wilshere would have had plenty of opportunities to play.
Right now, Arsenal are struggling to find a way to compensate for the loss of Cazorla. When fit, the Spaniard is integral to their quick transitions from back to front. His dribbling ability and creative instincts enable them to shift through the gears seamlessly. Without the former Malaga man, they lack someone with the ability to burst away from midfield markers and pick a pass from deep. Ramsey is capable of doing the former; Granit Xhaka the latter. Wilshere has the potential to excel at both. Rather than the No. 10 role he is filling on the South Coast, he might have found himself at the heart of the Gunners midfield as a deep-lying playmaker.
Unfortunately, we'll never know how he would have fared under Wenger this season -- and, what's more, Arsenal may never reap the benefit of Wilshere's time with Bournemouth. Having savoured regular first-team football, it may be difficult to persuade him to come back to London and fight for a spot again -- especially because the central midfield situation may have settled by then. This season was Wilshere's opportunity to earn a place in the outfit, but he chose to walk away. He may now find there is no way back.
James McNicholas is one of ESPN FC's Arsenal bloggers. You can follow him on Twitter @gunnerblog.
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