Knowing his future would lie away from his beloved boyhood club in Arsenal, Jack Wilshere's decision to join West Ham is a move filled with excitement for him.
Indeed, giving himself the opportunity to rejuvenate his injury riddled career under Manuel Pellegrini, who will adopt his customary possession based, offensively minded system, Wilshere will be hoping to regain traction under the Chilean tactician.
With West Ham having assembled a strong cast of new acquisitions to join him, including Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Issa Diop, in a window where they've nearly spent £100 million, Wilshere is relishing the prospect of spearheading this new era at the Hammers.
"I’m excited by the signings. With the manager, as well. As soon as I spoke to the manager, before I signed, it was clear that I wanted to be part of it," he explained.
“I need a manager who wants to play football. Who wants to play out, play through the midfield — press high and win the ball back straight away. You saw with his Manchester City team what he can do. It was a signal of intent when they put Manuel in charge. He has managed top clubs, has great experience, great staff with him and great ambitions for the club. “
Technically proficient and a man who'll add bite on the defensive end, the Englishman will be a fine asset on both sides of the game.
He's impact will certainly be most heavily felt on the offensive phase, however, where his creativity and imagination will be crucial towards helping his team unlock opposition defences. To start with, his adventurous passing allows him to combine intricately in tight spaces, play incisive line breaking deliveries and switch the angle of attack effectively.
His crafty dribbling ability will also be a top weapon, where he uses his fast feet, close control, nice array of feints and shoulder drops to stamp his mark. This, in combination with his sharp changes of pace and direction, duly sees him pose as a tremendously challenging opponent for any adversary.
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A smart mover to boot, his capacity to exploit vacant spaces will see him give his new teammates many viable passing outlets to utilise too.
Indeed, whether connecting, instigating or facilitating his team's attacking forays, it's easy to see why Pellegrini was so keen to secure his services, in a deal that's particularly brilliant as he arrived on a free transfer.
Now, Wilshere will just be desperately hoping he can keep fit for long enough to get back to his best, something that's proven very elusive in recent times.
