Jack Wilshere believes Arsenal are ‘definitely’ in the race for Champions League football after beating West Ham 2-0 to move up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
The build-up to Wednesday night’s London derby was dominated by the speculation and debate surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future, with the striker stripped of the Gunners’ captaincy after a disciplinary breach.
But Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe struck at either end of the second half to seal a statement win in Aubameyang’s absence at the Emirates.
The manner of the victory further raised hopes that Arsenal could be on course to secure a top-four spot for the first time since their second-placed finish in Leicester’s miraculous title-winning season back in 2015/16.
This weekend, the north London giants will hope to make it three wins from three when they face Leeds, a team bereft of confidence after back-to-back defeats in the English top flight.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Wilshere – who has been training with Arsenal this term – claimed Mikel Arteta’s young squad were ‘on a journey’ and clearly fighting for the Spaniard ahead of a busy winter period.
‘I don’t think their target would have been top four at the start of the season,’ he responded when asked about the club’s top-four hopes.
‘But the way the league has gone, the way the teams around them are playing and the way they’re starting to go… they’re on a journey and you’re starting to see a young team who are playing for a manager.
‘The manager has got a clear footballing philosophy and they’re doing it, they’re producing it.
‘Yes, there’s going to be bumps in the road because they’re young, they’re not going to be as consistent as you want them to be, but they’ve definitely got a chance of top four.’
Source : metro
