Jack Wilshere signs new deal to stay at Arsenal until 2015

GUNNERS midfielder Jack Wilshere committed his long-term future to the club this week, and vowed: there’s much more to come from me and Arsenal.

The 18-year-old wonderkid has been rewarded for his superb start to the season with an improved contract and four-year extension to his current deal, keeping him at the Emirates until 2015.

The rising England star admitted that staying at Arsenal was not a difficult decision to make, and that now he wants to concentrate on making his first full season in the first team a successful one.

“It was easy because I wanted to sign it,” said Wilshere this week. “I have been here since I was nine years old, I am happy here and always have been.

“I am only 18, things are going well at the moment but I have a lot to learn still and this is the club where I want to do that.

“This is the perfect club, the perfect team-mates, the perfect fans, the perfect backroom staff and most importantly, the perfect manager to help continue that.

“I’ve got a long way to go before I can become the player I dream of becoming and I’m sure I’ll keep making the odd mistake,” added Wilshere who has just served a three-game domestic suspension for his red card against Birmingham last month.

“But it is a massive help for me having a special manager like Arsene Wenger and so many quality team-mates and the unbelievable Arsenal fans around me. I believe there is a lot more to come from me.”

Wilshere had not started a Premier League game for the Gunners before this season but, having spent four months on loan at Bolton earlier this year, has forced his way into the first team, starting 10 games before his recent suspension.

During that time he has also won his first senior England cap and received glowing praise from football writers and pundits across the country who have been impressed with the teenager’s ever-improving game.

Gunners boss Wenger admitted that he is surprised at how quickly Wilshere has improved in the past year, having initially suggested he may send him out on loan again at the start of the season.

“I am very much surprised [by Wilshere’s progress],” added Wenger. “I didn’t expect that to happen so quickly. You have to be open-minded in our job and most of the time when it happens like that you are happy.

“Jack is a fantastic footballer with a huge amount of potential, and we have all seen with his performances so far that he is a very gifted player, who could be an extremely influential player at the top level of the game.”

Having missed the last three Premier League games, Wilshere will return for the Gunners in the Champions League clash in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk tonight.

The Gunners then face a league double-header beginning with the clash against Newcastle at the Emirates on Sunday, then travelling to Molineux to face Wolves next Wednesday night.

And Wilshere is confident that the second-placed Gunners can still challenge leaders Chelsea for the title, despite trailing the champions by five points after 10 games.

“Chelsea are doing well at the minute,” admitted Wilshere. “But although we lost the game against them we showed that we are the better team, we just have to put our chances away. We can still win the league.”