Jack Wilshere is taking charge of what could be his final game as Arsenal U18s coach today as the young Gunners host Aston Villa.
Wilshere has been strongly linked with a coaching position with Norwich City’s first-team, with a decision likely to be made on his next steps next week.
If Wilshere does depart then it will see his tenure as Arsenal U18s coach, which has spanned more than two years, come to an end.
There have been some significant highs and lows during that period, including reaching the FA Youth Cup final in 2023 and being thrashed by Liverpool in the same competition during the following season.
Overall, Wilshere’s tenure has been largely positive and he has commanded the respect of the group, with many players looking up to him given that he is one of the club’s most prominent academy graduates.
Wilshere prefers for his teams to play attacking football but he also wants them to have a ruthless edge and be effective out of possession.
On many occasions under Wilshere, the U18s have conceded goals early on before staging a comeback to secure a draw or a victory. Arsenal’s defending hasn’t always been of the highest standard but Wilshere has overseen the development of a lot of players.
Josh Nichols, for example, is one player who featured prominently under Wilshere and has gone on to represent the first-team. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly also benefited from his guidance.
Wilshere also hasn’t been afraid to give chances to younger players over older ones, which has been shown in his use of Max Dowman.
If Wilshere does depart then assistants Adam Birchall and Adam Pilling could have a more prominent part to play in terms of coaching the U18s.
It would be a shame to lose Wilshere but it was seemingly inevitable that he would depart at some stage as he looks to take another step towards becoming a first-team manager elsewhere.
The academy has certainly benefited from Wilshere’s involvement.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com
Follow him on Twitter @jeorge_bird
The more ex-gunners out in the wider football world managing and coaching is a good thing. Good luck to Jack….maybe one day he will come back and be a first team coach with us.
There’s a lot of disgraceful revisionism aimed at Arsene these days.
But just look at the amount of players now in coaching who learned from le prof.
Arsene fundamentally changed the league for the better, but they all had to be drug, kicking and screaming, into the 20th century
I think a lot of them drugged themselves.
And the drug in question?
Cocaine.
Couldn’t disagree more. Done nothing to warrant any elevation
If Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are allowed to manage premier league clubs then surely Jack is worthy of being assistant manager at a championship side?
Wayne rooney is famously a manager who has done stuff (get clubs relegated)
I guess only time will tell how talented a Coach he will or will not become, but I’ve always been slightly surprised and disappointed at how some of his detractors show an almost pathological dislike of him – for whatever reason…