Jack Wilshere was engulfed in another smoking row last night after pictures emerged of him holding a shisha pipe.
A photograph of the Arsenal and England midfielder, alleged to have been taken during a visit to a London nightclub during last week, was uploaded to Instagram before being removed, only to be subsequently reposted on Twitter.
The 23-year-old, expected to return this month from ankle surgery after being injured in November’s defeat by Manchester United, was forced to apologise last summer after being pictured with a cigarette twice inside a year.
Arsenal could not be reached for comment last night on whether he would be disciplined for this latest episode, which came a month after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny lit up in the showers following their 2-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year’s Day. The Pole has not started a Premier League match since.
Wilshere came in for criticism for being caught with a cigarette outside a London nightclub in November 2013 and again last summer when at a pool party while on a post-World Cup holiday in Las Vegas with England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Speaking in July, he said: “The smoking? Of course I regret it. I have been seen before doing it. I said then I made a mistake and I have made a mistake again. People make mistakes.
"I am young and I will learn from it. I realise the consequences it has and the effect on kids growing up.
“I have kids myself and I don’t want them growing up to think their dad smokes and it is okay for a footballer to smoke, because it’s not. It is unacceptable and I will accept the consequences and I will move on.”
In April 2012, Arsenal’s Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh was pictured holding a shisha pipe just hours after the defeat at Queens Park Rangers. Last month, manager Arsène Wenger spoke out against footballers smoking following the Szczesny revelations.
He said: “Players here are judged on their performances. Ideally, the best way to have a high level of performance as possible is to follow the rules that allow you to perform.
"Human beings are human beings, with their strengths and weaknesses. We know this is not good. Overall, these players are professional.”
Jack Wilshere is pictured holding the shisha pipe
He added of Wilshere’s transgressions: “Wilshere was on holiday [when he was caught smoking]. You cannot control the players on holiday.”
It remains to be seen whether Szczesny, who let in two goals in the FA Cup win at Brighton on Jan 25, is back between the posts for Saturday’s north-London derby at Tottenham.
His rival for the role, Colombia international David Ospina, intends to do all he can to stake his claim.
“I see it as a big responsibility to come to a great club like Arsenal - it is a dream come true,” he said yesterday. “Now it is my job to make the most of this opportunity that has come my way.”
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