Trophy talk could lure talisman Jack away from the Emirates if Wenger's drought continues

By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:53 EST, 20 February 2013 | Updated: 18:53 EST, 20 February 2013

As Arsenal were minced by Bayern Munich, one man sparkled. We have been here before with Jack Wilshere and it does not bode well for a failing team.

Wilshere belongs at Champions League level. Of that there can be no doubt, even though he has played only 270 minutes of football during its knockout stages.

At the Emirates on Tuesday night, the 21-year-old was the outstanding player in Arsene Wenger’s side.

He was the only one perhaps who Jupp Heynckes might have liked to transplant into his Bayern squad, just as was the case against Barcelona when Arsenal crashed out of the competition at this first knockout stage, two years ago.

Pep Guardiola paid him the back-handed compliment of suggesting that he might rival some of the promising players in the Barca B team.

This week, his technique, vision and energy impressed again in top company, but there was also Wilshere’s desire, the hunger and hurt that kept him driving at Bayern to try to shock this game from its natural orbit. Afterwards, he refused to concede defeat.

‘We play for Arsenal,’ he said. ‘We can’t give things up at a big club like this.’ Wilshere is a winner at a club who have won nothing for eight years — this will not be missed by wealthy rivals, despite Wilshere signing a five-year contract in December, thought to be worth £80,000 a week.

Yes, it was Arsenal who helped him through his injury nightmare and produced the new deal within two months of his return after 17 months away from competitive football.

Yes, Wenger views him as a future captain and vowed to build a team around him and the core of British youngsters who also committed to the Gunners recently.

And, yes, he dreams of becoming a legend at the club that he first joined as a nine year-old. He also believes his Arsenal bonds have been strengthened by his time out.

In November, Wilshere told Sportsmail of his wish to emulate club legend Tony Adams. ‘That’s something I want to do,’ he said, but he also set out his views on what Arsenal ought to be able to achieve.

‘Our ambition every year is to challenge for the Premier League title,’ he said. ‘If we didn’t think we could do that, we would be underachieving. We know we need to be in the top four, we need to win a trophy and get in the Champions League again.’

But, barring a remarkable recovery in Munich, the trophies have gone for another year. It’s easy with hindsight to criticise team selection against Blackburn in the FA Cup, but the real fact is the Gunners are on the slide.

They now have to fight for their Champions League status. One of Wenger’s pet theories is that the wealthiest clubs take predatory advantage of Arsenal’s successful scouting network and development skills, swooping on the Emirates when they cannot find talent elsewhere to improve their teams.

This accounts for those lost to Manchester City such as Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor and those who left for Barcelona such as Thierry Henry, Alex Hleb, Alex Song and Fabregas.

And it includes Manchester United, who lured Robin van Persie away in his need to start winning medals as he neared 30.

The predators watch as they know how Arsenal operate. If they were watching on Tuesday, they would be interested in one player.

Before departing, Van Persie emerged from a meeting with Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis and released a statement that said: ‘It has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal should move forward.’

Arsenal had also stood by Van Persie during long injury problems but he felt he had been as patient as could be.

Modern football is not about patience. When Wilshere set out why he had a long future at Arsenal, he said it was his ‘home’, with his family 20 minutes from the training ground and an hour from the Emirates.

This will encourage Wenger as long as it doesn’t soon interfere with his ambition. It is not easy to satisfy the modern footballer without Champions League football.

The modern footballer likes to maximise his talent, to push himself to the limits. And the modern footballer is often advised to maximise his earning power.

Wilshere is the nominated leader of Arsenal’s next generation. He has bonds there and no apparent desire to leave but bonds will fray if the side suffer.

For Arsenal, the season is not dead. They must keep their last few gems. Wenger’s invisible trophy, a top-four finish, seems more relevant than ever.