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Wilshere reveals reluctance to join Arsenal: F*** it I'm going!

Jack Wilshere has revealed how reluctant he was to join Arsenal.

The Englishman joined Arsenal at the age of nine and become the youngest to feature for the first-team in the Premier League at 16.

The West Ham midfielder was playing for Luton when the Gunners came calling, and he admits he didn't want to sign with them initially.

"I was playing for Luton and we were playing against Barnet and the ref was actually scouting for Arsenal," he told the Lockdown Tactics podcast.

"He came up to my dad afterwards and told him he wanted me to come along. He didn't even say it was a trial. He just wanted to sign me for Arsenal.

"It was strange because there must have been some sort of transfer window where that sort of thing could happen bu, I'll be honest with you, I didn't want to go.

"I was 15 minutes from Luton to get to London every day. My dad with his job he would have to finish work early.

"My dad didn't put any pressure on me but at the time. I didn't know what to do. I remember it so clearly, I was nine and I was in the park with my mate.

"My dad pulled up in his little red van and said: 'This is your last day you've got to make a decision'.

"I said to my mate: 'F*ck it. I'm going to Arsenal', and the rest is history. Fair play to my dad because we didn't have much as a kid, he was a plumber.

"He used to finish work at 4pm, then we'd be out the door and it would take an hour to get to London from where I lived and that was like three times a week from when I was 10."

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Freddie Taylor

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