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jack wilshere Was not destined for management. At least not in the eyes of her ex. armory TeamMite Theo Walcott“To be honest, I never thought Jack would become a manager,” he admits. This is not a gross lack of foresight from a man who first shared a dressing room with Wilshere, three years his junior, when he was just 16 – albeit one with stratospheric ability.
A playing career that whet the appetite but never quite satisfied the cravings, Wilshere’s emergence was as explosive as his decline felt immediate. At the age of 16, he was making his Gunners debut; At the age of 19, he played the metronome against possibly the greatest team of all time, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona; At the age of 26, his Arsenal dream was no more. Injuries proved decisive, curtailing what he could achieve on the pitch.
Walcott, the second Arsenal golden boy of the early 2010s, was there for it all. The pair shared the spotlight as their teenage fantasies came true, leading to both of them being shipped off from the club before reaching the age of 30. Walcott’s playing career continued after Arsenal, making over 100 appearances for Everton and Southampton before his retirement in 2023. When he retired in 2022 after fruitless stints at West Ham, Bournemouth and Danish outfit AGF, there was a sense of sadness rather than satisfaction.
But Wilshere’s war wounds did not stop him from remaining in the game. His careful journey into the world of coaching is no accident And after years of hard work, it took him to Kenilworth Road. “He hasn’t jumped off the deep end yet,” Walcott says of his former colleague, now 33 and in charge of Luton Town. “He’s really learned about himself, what he wants from other people, and doesn’t expect to get to the top straight away. He’s really surprised me, but when you look deeper at the work he’s done, it’s a different Jack Wilshere. Is. I think he’s matured really well.”
Wilshere’s first step into coaching saw him take charge of the Arsenal under-18s. He led a team including Miles Lewis-Skelley and Ethan Nwaneri to the FA Youth Cup final, a match where he is well aware of his promising days. When Wilshere left the U18 job in the summer of 2024, he opted to go straight into management. Instead he took up a backroom role as a coach for Norwich City, Hone his craft under then Canaries boss Johannes Hof Thorup As he completed his badges to earn his UEFA Pro Licence.
His intention was not to rush into a managerial role – something like He reiterated this in his first interview as Luton bossWalcott agrees that he has done his due diligence. “He’ll have that respect element in him. He won’t ask players to do anything that he can’t do because he understands the levels.”
Considering the almighty job facing him, Wilshere cannot afford to be out of his depth. After back-to-back relegations, League One’s Luton are a team in crisis, a far cry from the team that competed in the Premier League just two seasons ago. Their first game did not go to plan, with the team being ridiculed after a 2–0 defeat at home to Mansfield on Saturday. Walcott says there’s nothing to be ashamed of – something to which his other teammates will testify. “It’s a tough league,” he warns. “I saw Tom Cleverly (Ex-Man United midfielder and current Plymouth Argyle manager) The other week I went to get my (England) Legacy cap and he was saying, ‘When you’re trying to ask players to do something they can’t do, now, well, we need to try and find a different way.’ This is going to open his eyes. However, he has some good people around him. They will take good care of him.”
While his start to management is below par compared to many of his England counterparts such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, Walcott feels Wilshere is the character Luton need to turn their fortunes around. “He’s really good with people,” he adds. “Because he’s young, a lot of people can relate to him. I think that’s really helpful for him. It’s the first game, new things happen and it’s never going to be easy for him. He’ll do well in time.”
The former midfield maestro’s new aim has once again cast doubt on Walcott’s future. He is currently thriving as a pundit, but he would be lying if professional coaching had not crossed his mind. “I haven’t ruled it out,” explains Walcott, whose growing passion lies in managing both his sons’ respective grassroots teams.
“I would potentially look at more academies,” he says, insisting that the glamor of senior management is not his priority. “I love working with the younger generation. Essentially you need to give them the building blocks to make sure they’re in the right mindset for the dressing room and that environment. It starts from there for me. I’m definitely looking at it.”
Walcott says he’s not ready to take the leap yet. Having seen his entire adult life immersed in football, he is enjoying the family life that comes with the newfound freedom – something he “missed a lot”. However, he has an idea when the time for change may come. “It’s a big call for me after the World Cup. I think basically (when) that will be my decision. We’ll see where I stand and then go from there, but I haven’t ruled it out because I want to help.
“I could talk about it all day, though, on the training field, when you’re out there with kids or younger adults, it really matters. No one has to see it, it’s not for people to see. It’s just something I’m passionate about.”
For now, Walcott is content to take inspiration from his partner as he contemplates whether he should follow suit. But it seems he doesn’t just want to watch and learn from Wilshere from a distance. “I’ll have to go see him, see what’s going on.”
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