Wilshere planning to pile pressure on Arsenal by lifting West Ham above Gunners

Jack Wilshere is looking to pile pressure on his former employers at Arsenal by helping current club West Ham to finish above the Gunners in the Premier League table.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are considered to be among those most likely to break into the top six during the 2019-20 campaign.

The Hammers have invested wisely and boast proven performers in all areas of the field.

It could be that the likes of Arsenal are there to be shot at, with those at Emirates Stadium having endured three successive seasons outside of the top four.

Wilshere, who left north London in 2018 after 10 years in the senior ranks, believes West Ham are capable of forcing their way into the European spots.

He told Premier League Productions: "That has to be our target, but the Premier League, you know what it is like, you have to fight every game, every week.

"Our problem last year was not against the big teams, it was against the other teams where we dropped points.

"We need to make sure we start right, last year we started badly, lost the first four games and then we are playing catch-up and it is difficult."

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Wilshere is aware that consistency will be key for West Ham, with the club having shown that they can compete with the best in the business.

On their day they are capable of overcoming any rival, with there every reason to believe that a standing above Arsenal can be secured if everything falls into place.

England international Wilshere added: “That’s what we’re going to aim for.

"I am not saying we are going to win the Premier League, but we want to push as high as we can.

"We beat Arsenal last year, we beat [Manchester] United, we beat Chelsea, so we know we can beat them.

"It's against the smaller teams where we need to focus more and pick up points."

West Ham will want to start building momentum heading into the new season, with back-to-back defeats suffered against Manchester City and Newcastle at the Premier League Asia Trophy.

They have more pre-season fixtures to take in before returning to competitive action with a testing home date against defending champions City on August 10.