Wilshere: I might quit if Wenger is forced out

London: Jack Wilshere has warned he would consider quitting Arsenal if Arsene Wenger left the club. The midfielder leapt to the defence of his under-fire manager, who has faced renewed calls to quit after eight years without a trophy and a dispiriting defeat on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Wenger’s contract expires next summer anyway and there is speculation this campaign could be his last. And in a statement which will spread alarm among supporters who have seen a succession of stars quit the Emirates, Wilshere told Zapsportz.com he could follow the long-serving Frenchman out of the door.

“I want to win things with Arsenal and I want to be there in the future, but if the boss leaves then things could change,” said the 21-year-old, who only signed a new contract in December.

“Arsenal are always in my heart and my signing a deal for the next five years shows my commitment to them and their commitment to me so at the moment everything is good.

“Arsene Wenger has been there for so many years and he’s always delivered trophies. OK, we’ve had a little dip in the last five or six years, but he’s a great manager and people who question his ability are ridiculous. He’s qualified for the Champions League for 16 years so I think he’s the right man for the job.”

Supporters are directing their ire at Wenger over his failure to spend any money in the transfer window. It certainly has not been for the want of trying, with the club making record-breaking but unsuccessful offers for Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain. Wenger insisted he would not brood were he to lose out again to a rival suitor before the window closes on September 2.

“You’ve certainly tried to go out with a girl and find she has chosen someone else,” he said. “You don’t commit suicide.”

Arsenal have already demonstrated there are plenty more fish in the sea by transferring their affections to Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria as part of an £80 million (Dh457.7 million) spree. Wenger all but admitted both players would have been out of his league but for Wednesday night’s 3-0 win at Fenerbahce that all but secured a Champions League qualification.

“That is, of course, the needed requirement for the top players,” he said.

“The players say, ‘OK, we want to join Arsenal. We want to play the kind of football you play. But as well, we want to play in the Champions League’. It’s unfortunately like that.”

Qualification could also help them seduce targets Yohan Cabaye, of Newcastle, Juventus’s Paul Pogba, Micah Richards, of Manchester City and Valencia’s Vicente Guaita. Arsenal already appear to have won over an old flame in Mathieu Flamini, who is unattached and training with his former club.

The out-of-favour Lukas Podolski may complete a loan move to Schalke. However, it would also leave Wenger’s squad even more threadbare until he finds a replacement. He said: “Number-wise, we are not strong enough to cope with all the [trophy] targets a club like us has.”