Jack Wilshere's departure from Arsenal had long been in the making. However tricky it might have been for the now former Under 18s manager, who is a constant reminder to the eager youngsters at the club that the dream of breaking into the Gunners first team is a possibility, the opportunity to join Norwich as a first-team coach was all too tempting.
The club will miss him; the fan favourite, who made 197 Arsenal appearances in a senior career spanning 10 years, with a further seven in the academy, is a Gooner through and through. But so will the parents of players who have come under his tutelage. Many are already rueing the move.
Mail Sport understands that Arsenal have been open to Wilshere leaving for some time. They recognise that the 32-year-old, who is clearly talented, has big ambitions at a club where further coaching progression is hard to provide with no vacancies at present in the first team coaching setup.
When MLS side Colorado Rapids came in for the Englishman in October last year, Arsenal allowed him to have talks but that move fell through.
At Norwich, it’s understood the Championship club had their eyes on a different candidate. The target was promising young coach Fatah Abdirahman, who was assistant manager at Danish top-flight side Randers FC in July 2023 having risen up the ranks at Aarhus GF, where Wilshere finished his playing career with a brief spell in 2022. Abdirahman had an interview, and both parties were on board.
Jack Wilshere has taken up a role coaching Championship side Norwich and left Arsenal
The former Gunners Under-18s coach won the hearts and minds of the side's academy stars
The former Arsenal star will now join the set-up of head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup
Yet the finer details could not be agreed, which is where Wilshere came into the picture. A key factor was sporting director Ben Knapper, Arsenal’s ex-loan manager from 2019 to 2023. He knows what a coup Wilshere is after seeing first-hand the impact the ex-midfielder has had at the Hale End academy.
He will now be third in command at Norwich behind head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup and assistant Glen Riddersholm.
He had been in his Arsenal Under 18s role for just over two seasons, taking charge in July 2022, and led them to the final of the FA Youth Cup in his first season where they were beaten by West Ham.
An aspect of Wilshere’s coaching which has been widely recognised is his man-management. Having reached the top level as a player, he knows what it is like to face disappointment, feel confused by decisions and make the transition from the academy to first team.
His own prominent rise through the ranks adds to the appeal. When he talks, the kids listen.
One parent told Mail Sport how Wilshere had called their son on the same evening after games to explain why they were dropped or how they could have played better so they wouldn’t stew on it overnight. He is known to want to nip negative thoughts in the bud. This was something the parent had not come across before and thinks his departure is ‘a massive loss’.
Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper was instrumental in bringing him to Carrow Road
Psychology is a big part, especially when coaching teenagers. Getting key messages across in the right way is part of the package.
An agent of an Arsenal Under 18 player said: ‘He’s their guardian as well as coach. If Wilshere tells you something, you buy into it.
‘The way he wants you to touch the ball, the right movements. He mentors them and will tell them exactly where they’ve gone wrong and how they can improve.
‘It’s not just about coaching but the psychological aspect, too, which he is very good at.’
When asked to reflect on Wilshere last week, Mikel Arteta said: ‘He’s been great. Everyone knows about his career, about his character and he’s a really special personality. His attachments to the football club are unique. He has this aura and charisma and a way of connecting with people.
‘He’s been an inspiration for the kids because of his history, what he did and how he did it.’
Mikel Arteta had kind parting words for his youth coach and praised his aura and charisma
Wilshere's tutelage helped inspire young players to believe they could break into the first team
He is also in sync with the wider understanding that the academy teams are there to support the first team. That supersedes winning or losing individual matches. His sides have been seen to emphasise the attacking side of the game, looking to overwhelm the opposition when on the ball.
One scout told Mail Sport: ‘There was a game where, in possession, the goalkeeper moved to right back and the right back went to left midfield.
‘It was basically to have five attackers when they had the ball. I had never seen anything like that before.
‘Watching the Under 18s, he clearly isn’t fixated if they concede but about mirroring the systems the first team play in or trying things out.
‘Even when goals have been conceded, he doesn’t show frustration.’
A hallmark from Wilshere’s time as an Arsenal coach has been the emergence of the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman.
It is Dowman who has particularly benefitted from the Englishman, having been trusted to play in an age group far higher than his own. In September, Dowman became the youngest player, aged 14 years, to score in a UEFA Youth League game. Wilshere also gave Dowman his Under 18 Premier League debut in September 2023, making him the youngest player in the history of the competition at 13.
Two of the players who are already on Arteta's radar are Ethan Nwaneri (left) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (right)
Max Dowman is another starlet who has benefitted from promotion up a level under Wilshere
But Wilshere might have been thinking of moving on and expanding his horizons after Max Porter was given the opportunity to lead the side's U19s in Europe
The pair share early similarities in being midfielders tipped for big things at Arsenal, at a very early age.
There were opportunities to potentially keep Wilshere. He previously wanted to lead Arsenal’s Under 19s in the UEFA Youth League, for example, but Max Porter, who had not yet had head coaching experience, was given the role.
In truth, the news comes at a time of big change at Arsenal academy and is a loss — no matter how big Wilshere’s coaching ambitions are. His exit comes on the heels of a summer exodus of highly rated young players, including the likes of Chido Obi-Martin to Manchester United, Amario Cozier-Duberry to Brighton and Reuell Walters to Luton.
So yet another key figure bites the dust. Arsenal will be losing an important piece of their jigsaw but, for Wilshere, the chance to further develop is his — and, potentially, a return to north London one day.