Former Gunner admits Mikel Arteta inspired his coaching career | OneFootball

Jack Wilshere has confirmed that Mikel Arteta inspired him to start coaching during a brief spell back at Arsenal a few years ago.

Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta celebrates scoring their first goal of the game from the penalty spot with team-mate Jack Wilshere (right)

Jack Wilshere is currently working as an assistant coach at Norwich City, having previously had a spell as the Arsenal u18s’ head coach. Eventually, the goal is to get the top job for a senior side, and Wilshere admitted this week that dream was sparked by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

“Mikel was the one,” Wilshere said. “I’d never seen someone coach that way, I’d never seen his passion, I’d never seen how he would try to teach the players, both in meetings and on the pitch.

“I was invited back to train when I was between clubs, I saw it, I was on my Uefa A Licence at the time and it inspired me.”

Photo via PA Media

It’s not the first time Wilshere has alluded to Arteta’s influence in his decision to start coaching, previously saying: “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.

“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.”

Photo via Arsenal.com

Wilshere ultimately left Arsenal for Norwich back in October, joining as an assistant to head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup.

The former midfielder certainly managed 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.