Wilshere set to sign new deal

Published Dec. 16, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Jack Wilshere believes Arsenal can still win the Barclays Premier League and Champions League this season and is ready to sign a new deal at the club.

Manager Arsene Wenger takes his misfiring side to bottom club Reading on Monday night looking for a response to the Capital One Cup humiliation by Bradford.

Wenger insists he has full confidence in his squad, who have been criticised for a string of below-par displays this season which have left them well off the pace in the Premier League.

And Wilshere's intention to commit himself to the club will be a welcome boost for the Gunners.

"I am talking to the club and I probably will be committing my future to the club in the next couple of weeks," he said.

"I know the team are going through a bad stage at the moment, but that is like any team."

The 20-year-old also sees no reason why Arsenal cannot turn things around in 2013.

"We can still realistically win everything we are in. I know we are a long way behind in the Premier League, but football changes quickly," Wilshere said at a FIFA 13 Ultimate Team appearance in a Q&A reproduced on www.skysports.com.

"If we win three games and another team loses a couple and draws one, we are back in it. It is not in our hands so we need a bit of luck.

"We are in the last 16 of the Champions League, that is going to be difficult, but we know in the Champions League anything can happen. It is two games and we can beat anybody. We showed that at home before when we beat Barcelona. There is no reason why we cannot do it again.

"We have got a hard game against Swansea in the FA Cup, but if we win that and a couple of big teams go out, anything can happen in cup football."

Wenger's position has come under scrutiny following one of the most testing spells of his 16 seasons at the helm.

But Wilshere is in no doubt the 63-year-old remains the best man for the job.

"For me, there is no question he is the right man. You cannot start questioning him because we have had a few bad results. The players have to look at themselves," Wilshere said.

"Every year he has been in the Champions League and there is no other manager who has done that. He has built a legacy at this club. He changed everything from when he came in 15-16 years ago. He brought the Total Football, if you like, to Arsenal - the passing game.

"He has also been great for me, has shown great faith in me from when I was young. He stuck with me when I was injured and has still stuck by me."

Despite all of Wilshere's positive rhetoric, the fact remains Arsenal have not won a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup.

The midfielder accepts that run cannot be allowed to drag on towards a barren decade.

"It is something we have to change. It is there and it adds to the pressure. It has been too long for a club like Arsenal," Wilshere added.

"We used to win trophies in the past so there is no reason why we cannot.

"We have got good players. Maybe there is just a mental block we need to get over. When we get our first one, it can all start to happen."