With the saga at Arsenal having dominated the news feeds since the turn of the year, many other issues – at times including playing football itself – have taken a back seat.

The rumours which continue to circle around the futures of manager Arsene Wenger and his star duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have been rumbling for months now, leaving other talking points behind in their wake.

One key thing which must be addressed, aside from the main men in the situation, is the planning for next season, who will leave and how will they be replaced?

There is deadwood which must be cut from Wenger’s squad, as well as areas which need a lick of paint, but thanks to the protracted saga, that’s all taken a back seat.

At the start of the season, it came a quite the shock to many in football that Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere had decided, on Deadline Day no less, to head out on loan for the season, joining former Arsenal teammate Benik Afobe at Bournemouth.

The decision at the time was taken after a realisation that there would be limited chances for first team football at The Emirates, which would hamper his position in the England setup.

That call, however, was also made with the mindset of getting a season under his belt, fully fit, and returning to north London as the player he was always meant to be, so what happens down?

Since signing Wilshere, Cherries manager Eddie Howe has done a fantastic job in managing the 25-year-old’s workload and keeping him fit. With that careful management in place, the London Colney academy graduate managed to complete his first full first team match in over two years, rather fittingly against Spurs.

Wilshere has fallen to the bench on the south coast in recent weeks owing to a change in tact from Howe, with the more defensive Dan Gosling preferred in the starting eleven.

However, that is by no means a detriment to the England international’s performances this season. The stats, just two assists and no goals in a Bournemouth shirt, do not make for pretty reading, but he has contributed far more than the numbers let on.

That said, it could be hard – despite having seen a lot of the on-loan Arsenal man this season – to form a cohesive argument as to why a return to Wenger’s first team could be on the cards come next season.

With that in mind, and with the midfielder’s contract up next summer, it would be wise to start looking at options for a sale this coming summer.

Given the fact that within the Premier League a £10m premium can be added to any English player, Wenger still has the chance to cash in on his man for significant profit instead of letting him go for nothing in a year’s time.

Whilst it may not be then end that Arsenal fans would have wanted or anticipated when Wilshere first appeared on the scene, it may be best for all involved.