Arsenal hand Jack Wilshere new longterm contract

Published: 02 Jul 2009 - 16:22:42

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Arsenal hand Jack Wilshere new longterm contract

The 17-year-old featured in eight first team matches last season, making his debut in a 4-0 win at Blackburn in September when he was still 16. Long-touted as a future mainstay in the side, Wenger's faith and belief in him is great and he has continued to excel in youth and reserve matches as the Frenchman bloods him in slowly. Wilshere, a classy, creative midfielder likes to operate as an attacking force down the centre though has been called in to action on both wings as Wenger seeks to learn more about him. Wilshere putting pen to paper follows quickly after Ramsey also committing himself to the club. The 18 year-old arrived at Emirates Stadium from Cardiff last summer in what was understood to be a £5 million deal and made 22 first team appearances for Arsenal last season. 'Aaron made a very good contribution in his first season and he showed that he is a very intelligent player with great quality,' said Wenger. 'He is still only 18 and we are really looking forward to seeing him develop with us in the forthcoming years.' Wenger has long championed youth in his sides and is widely recognised as one of the best managers in the game at identifying and developing young players.