Jack Wilshere has made no secret of where his loyalties lie when Bournemouth travel to Arsenal on Sunday, saying he hopes the Gunners will lose.
Wilshere joined Bournemouth on loan this season after struggling to get enough playing time at Arsenal but will have to sit out the game at the Emirates as he cannot play against his parent club.
The England international, who is a product of Arsenal's Hale End academy and known for his fierce loyalty to the club, said he hoped Eddie Howe's side come out on top this weekend.
"You know what, at the moment I'm a Bournemouth player so I want Bournemouth to win," he said.
Wilshere went on loan to get his career back on track after injuries ruined nearly all of last season and saw him pushed well down the pecking order at the Emirates.
He has started eight Premier League games for Bournemouth so far, compared to 10 league starts for Arsenal in the previous two seasons combined.
And while he will have to watch from the sidelines at the Emirates, he said the extra rest might do him good.
"It's frustrating [not to play], of course. I just got a run of games," he said. "But it might be good for me in a way, just to miss one and then refresh and go again."
Sunday's game will also pit Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger against Howe, a man many have tipped as a possible successor the Frenchman when he eventually leaves the club. Wenger's contract expires next summer, and he has yet to sign an extension.
Howe led Bournemouth to promotion in 2015 and has been credited with playing an attack-minded football similar to Arsenal's, and former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson said the club should definitely consider Howe when it comes time to replace Wenger.
"Eddie would definitely be in the frame. I love the way Bournemouth play. It's very Arsenal-like, they play in a similar style, so it's to be hugely admired. The job Eddie has done is extraordinary," Wilson told the Bournemouth Echo.
Howe is only 38 but Wilson insisted that should not be held against him.
"Age doesn't mean anything," Wilson said. "It doesn't matter how old you are, it's whether you're good enough and whether you have that complete rapport with the players.
"It didn't matter for [Franz] Beckenbauer or [Johan] Cruyff. Footballers can be notorious for pretending they're listening, while thinking 'This bloke hasn't got a clue what he's talking about.'
"Eddie Howe's players clearly believe in him."