Jack Wilshere explains why he left Arsenal | OneFootball

Jack Wilshere has explained why he decided to leave Arsenal for Norwich City, a few months after making the switch from the Gunners’ academy.

Photo via PA Media

Former Arsenal player and academy coach Jack Wilshere left the club for Norwich City back in October, joining his new club as a first-team coach and assistant to head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Reflecting back on that move in the last few days, Wilshere told The PinkUn that it felt like the right time for him to progress into senior football.

“I started my coaching journey in the academy and it was amazing, and I loved every minute of it,” Wilshere began. “It prepared me really well for this, but I was ready for the next step.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear with my ambition to be a head coach…I felt like it was the right step for me to step away from academy football.

“As soon as I sat down with Johannes (Hoff Thorup, Norwich City manager), and Ben (Knapper, sporting director), but Johannes in particular, with the playing style, and what he was trying to do, and how he’s trying to bring young players through, I thought it was the perfect step for me.

“He’s a young coach as well, but with some really, really good clear ideas. Someone I can learn off, and we can grow together.”

Photo via Arsenal.com

Wilshere is clearly grateful for his experiences at Arsenal, and he has plenty of praise for current head coach Mikel Arteta. Looking back at his initial return to the club, Wilshere admitted he was inspired by the Gunners boss.

“I went back to Arsenal and worked with Mikel a little bit, and he actually really inspired me (to get into coaching). The way he coached, I’d never seen anything like it,” Wilshere revealed.

“Of course, I wasn’t that comfortable, because I’d never really coached before. I started to then get the bug and started to coach a little bit within the academy and with my career finishing I felt like it was the right step.

“I didn’t want to step directly into first-team (coaching), I am really, really passionate about development…I wanted to start there.

“I felt like it was a nice story as well, that’s where I started my career coming through, and just to give a little bit back to the young players. I absolutely loved it, from the first day.”

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter

Wilshere certainly did manage to give something back with Arsenal’s young players, proving an inspiring figure to the current crop coming through. In fact, he was so impactful that there was talk of a few youth players being very disappointed and concerned when he left.

But that’s football, coaches come and go. Wilshere had to make the right step for his own career, and that’s another lesson he’s taught those young Arsenal players.