ARSENE WENGER’S ANNOUNCEMENT that he will leave Arsenal at the end of the season has affected Jack Wilshere’s contract talks.
The England midfielder’s deal expires at the conclusion of the campaign, with talks between the player and the club dragging on.
Wilshere remains positive over his chances of extending his career-long association with the Gunners despite Wenger’s impending departure.
“We are still in the same position really,” Wilshere told Sky Sports. “Not much has changed. We are still talking.
“Obviously the boss has left which has changed things a little bit because I don’t know who is going to be the manager next year and that can change things.
“But we are still talking and I am hopeful and the club is hopeful we can get something done.”
Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday and Wilshere says he is focused on the end of the season rather than his contract talks with the club.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought about [moving to another club],” Wilshere said.
“I have said before that this is where I want to be and I have not really had much time to think about moving clubs.
“We have been playing every three or four days for the last three or four months so it has been difficult.
“I am concentrating on games and obviously the boss left so it has been a bad couple of months to be honest.”
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Great article. I’m sure some of the unions will snap him up
The IRFU should be hiring him, we’re badly in need of a top level ref.
@Jim Demps: Absolutely Jim some of the refs in the PRO14 over the last few years have been poor enough.
Doyle is certainly better than most of them imo.
@TL55: Since John Lacey stepped away we have been crying out for a top referee. Frank Murphy and Andrew Brace have a good bit to go to be considered top quality refs. I’m not a fan of George Clancy either but I thought he did a top notch job in the Leinster v Ulster game.
To think ben whitehouse is still reffing international games and pro 14 games
So much of good refereeing is in the communication to the players-in almost all sports and Doyle was good in that regard. I remember him reffing a Japan and Ireland senior game couple of years back which I couldn’t believe at the time but he didn’t do anything untoward and hopefully for him he’ll be back into the swing of things somewhere asap
@Baz: Alain Rolland regularly reffed France because he was registered as an Irish ref, there was also a Nordie ref registered as Scottish though he never popped up as a ref at men’s international level. The Scottish union could do a lot worse than hiring Doyle as they haven’t had an international level men’s XVs ref for yonks. Their best ref works the 7s series and some of the women’s tournaments, I think I’ve only seen him do maybe one pro14 game.
He’s a sound man, JP.
Hopefully he can stay in Rugby fulltime.
But what actually is a Gowl ?
@Daragh Curtis: An old wooden ship from the American civil war era.
@Cian Nolan: perhaps, but I don’t think this was what POM was referring to.
It’s a word for the female genitalia, interestingly enough (from yesterday’s Irish Times) from the Irish word gabhal meaning crotch. Gabhal mná apparently is the full version.
@Daragh Curtis: Robb Stark is one. You’re welcome
@Decko49: nailed it!
@Daragh Curtis: A gowl is essentially what the “C-word” is everywhere else.