Norwich City: Ben Knapper explains why Jack Wilshere has been snubbed for permanent managerial job | OneFootball

The former Arsenal under-18s boss will not be getting his first full-time head coach role at Carrow Road.

Norwich City's sporting director, Ben Knapper, has revealed why Jack Wilshere won't be the club's next manager after a brief interim spell in charge of the first-team.

Following the departure of former boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, Wilshere was tasked with taking charge of Norwich's final two games of what has been a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

Wilshere said, in his first press conference as temporary boss, that he wants to be a head coach at some point in his career.

Given his connection to the sporting director - the pair worked together at Arsenal - who is leading the search for the Dane's permanent replacement, some felt that the former England international might be poised to get his first opportunity at Carrow Road.

Norwich are going to go in a different direction though - the external route - as has now been confirmed by Knapper.

Norwich's sporting director explains decision to not make Jack Wilshere the boss

The sporting director has explained his decision to bypass the Wilshere option, via The Pink Un: "Jack is a fantastic person. First and foremost, he and I have got a big history together," Knapper stated.

"He's a great coach, and he's going to be a fantastic head coach, but that's not going to be here at this particular moment in time. So our search is focused externally.

"Naturally he was disappointed. He's super-ambitious, and rightly so he should be. But for where we are right now, and the context, we're focusing externally.

"I know him so well. And, of course, the emotional part, or the other romantic part of me, would love to make that decision, but my job is to not get wrapped up in emotion and really try to make cool, objective decisions about trying to manage risk. And ultimately, with that in mind, we're going to focus externally for our next head coach.

"It was difficult because I'm human as well, and you have those emotional, romantic thoughts. But the reality is my job is to separate away from those, and make what I think is the best decision for the football club. And that was what I did.

"Jack is incredibly talented. There's no doubt for me that he will be a top head coach. He's hungry, he's ambitious. Everything that we've seen from him since we've been here would suggest that he will get to that place. But where he's at in his journey I just didn't feel that this was that particular moment in time."

Alek Crook of talkSPORT has reported that Wilshere will leave Norwich entirely following this missed opportunity, although Knapper didn't suggest that any final decision on the 33-year-old's future has been made. He did, however, reveal that he would like to appoint a new boss before the end of the month.

Ben Knapper has to get his next Norwich decision spot on

Twice in the space of a year the former Arsenal loans manager has sacked Carrow Road bosses. The first one, David Wagner, got the Canaries into the play-offs but the connection between him and the club was never right.

Then, two-and-a-half weeks ago, Knapper pulled the plug on the Thorup project after less than a season of what was supposed to be a long-term appointment.