'Left for Barcelona' – Wilshere opens up to Mikel about one of his biggest Arsenal regrets

Jack Wilshere has opened up on his biggest regret during his time at Arsenal, revealing to John Obi Mikel on the Obi One Podcast that not playing longer with Cesc Fàbregas remains a painful memory from his career.

The 33-year-old, who served as Norwich City's interim coach at the end of last season, reflected on his early breakthrough at Arsenal.

He spoke of the lasting impact made by Fàbregas, who departed the Gunners in 2011 to rejoin Barcelona, praising the Spaniard’s influence both on and off the pitch.

"I always say it's one of my biggest regrets. I trained with him a lot, from 16 to probably 20, but I broke into the team around 18 or 19," Wilshere told Mikel. 

"I played with him for that year, and then he left for Barcelona. It's one of my biggest regrets that I didn’t play with him for longer because he understood the game.”

Wilshere’s admiration for Fàbregas was clear throughout the conversation, describing the Spaniard as a player with rare intelligence and vision. 

Having spent four years training alongside him before making the step into regular first-team action, Wilshere believes more time together on the pitch could have made a difference — both to his development and Arsenal’s fortunes.

He also reflected on the wider issue of Arsenal’s inability to keep its top players during a key era of transition. 

"When Cesc left, we got Cazorla and Özil, but could you imagine if we had them all together.  

"Van Persie left, we got Sanchez, and it was like if we could just hold on to them, we could have challenged and probably won it in my opinion," Wilshere added.

Those remarks capture the what-ifs that continue to surround Arsenal’s past squads — teams packed with talent but ultimately dismantled before achieving their full potential. 

Mikel faced Wilshere five times during his professional career in England, winning four of those encounters and losing only once.

Wale Adejumo
 

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