Arsene Wenger hands Jack Wilshere a public dressing down after Arsenal midfielder is pictured smoking
Arsene Wenger hands Jack Wilshere a public dressing down after Arsenal midfielder is pictured smoking
The Gunners boss "disagrees completely" with his behaviour, adding that both health and reputation can be damaged
No smoke: Jack Wilshere will be spoken to by Wenger
Michael Regan
Arsene Wenger has given Jack Wilshere a public dressing down after the Arsenal midfielder was pictured smoking.
Arsenal boss Wenger made it clear he "completed disagreed" with
Wilshere's behaviour on a night out with friends and team mates in the
early hours of Thursday. Wilshere has claimed that he was not smoking and had put the cigarette in his mouth as part of a dare but Wenger insisted that footballers must accept that they are role models and also it affects fitness.
Arsenal's players were given two days off after their win over Napoli
and Wilshere was not breaking any curfew rules but smoking has not gone
down well with Wenger who will talk to him today.
Wenger said: "I disagree completely with that behaviour. I don't know
really what happened, I will need to have a chat with him about that.
"There are two things: first of all when you are a football player
you are an example and as well you don't do what damages your health.
"The fact [is] that you can damage your health at home, you can smoke
at home and you can drink at home, and nobody sees it, but when you go
out socially you as well damage your reputation as an example."
Wenger admits that smoking is far more common in France and Holland -
Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini are renowned smokers - but says English
society takes a much dimmer view.
Wenger, who joked about his experiences while as a player in France,
said: "Yes, of course things are different in England especially. Unimpressed: Arsene Wenger says he will speak to Wilshere
Paul Gilham
"You don't need to convince me because I must tell you, I travelled
as a football player on coaches after games in France where you didn't
see each other, there was so much smoke on the coach!
"Everybody smoked. But times have changed and the healthy worry, the
example, the role models from the football players request has changed
as well.
"And I must say as well, English society is very sensitive to
smoking, much more than France, more than and southern countries. So it
is a bit more shocking here than it is somewhere else."
But Wenger insisted that Wilshere is central to his plans and will
play at West Brom as they look for a club record ninth away win in the
Premier League.
"He is a very important player here, you know. All my plans for the
future at the club have always been built with Jack and around Jack. We
had some setbacks with him - a lot - but he is a very important player
in my squad," said Wenger.
Arsenal will be without Bacary Sagna for the trip to West Brom with Carl Jenkinson set to come in.
Wenger said: "Sagna will not be fit. He has a hamstring injury and will be out for the weekend and for basically three weeks."
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