Jack Wilshere was not destined for management. At least not in the eyes of his former Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott. “To be honest, I never thought Jack would be a manager,” he admits. It’s not an outrageous lack of foresight from a man who first shared a dressing room with Wilshere, three years his junior, when he was just a brazen 16-year-old – albeit one with stratospheric potential.
A playing career that whet the appetite but never wholly fulfilled a craving, Wilshere’s emergence was as explosive as his decline felt instant. At 16, he was making his Gunners debut; at 19, he played metronome against arguably the greatest team of all time, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona; at 26, his Arsenal dream was no more. Injuries proved defining, putting a lid on what he could achieve on the pitch.
Walcott, the other Arsenal golden boy of the early 2010s, was there for all of it. The pair shared the limelight as their teenage fantasies played out, earning indispensable status only for both to be shipped out of the club before reaching 30. Walcott’s playing career did live on after Arsenal, racking up over 100 more appearances across spells at Everton and Southampton before his retirement in 2023. Wilshere’s, however, coughed and spluttered to its demise. When he hung up the boots in 2022 following fruitless stints at West Ham, Bournemouth and Danish outfit AGF, the overwhelming sense upon reflection was sadness rather than satisfaction.
But Wilshere’s battle scars have not stopped him from staying in the game. His heedful journey into the world of coaching is no accident and after years of toil, it has led him to Kenilworth Road. “He hasn’t just dived into the deep end,” Walcott says of his ex-colleague, now 33 and in charge of Luton Town. “He’s really learned about himself, of what he wants from other people, and not to expect to be right at the top straight away. He really surprised me, but when you look at the work he’s done and in depth, it’s a different Jack Wilshere. I think he’s matured really well.”
Wilshere’s first step into coaching saw him take charge of Arsenal Under-18s. He led a squad including Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri to the FA Youth Cup final, a match where he knows all to well from his prospect days. When Wilshere left the U18 job in the summer of 2024, he opted against going straight into management. Instead he took a backroom role as a coach for Norwich City, honing his craft under then Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup as he finished his badges to earn his Uefa Pro License.
He was intent on not rushing into managerial role – something he reiterated in his first interview as Luton boss. Walcott agrees that he’s put in his due diligence. “He’ll have that respect element. He’s not going to ask players to do something that he could do because he understands the levels.”
Considering the almighty job he faces, 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 side that competed in the Premier League just two seasons ago. His first game didn’t go to plan, with the team jeered off after a 2-0 home defeat to Mansfield on Saturday. Walcott says there is no shame in this – something another of his peers would testify to. “It’s a tough league,” he warns. “I saw Tom Cleverley (ex-Man United midfielder and current Plymouth Argyle manager) the other week when I went to go pick up my (England) legacy cap and he was saying, ‘when you’re trying to ask players to do something they can’t quite do, it’s now, right, we need to try and find a different way’. It’s going to open up his eyes. However, he’s got some good people around him. They’ll look after him well.”
While his start in management comes on a lower rung of the ladder than many of his England counterparts like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, Walcott thinks Wilshere is just the character Luton need to turn their fortunes around. “He’s really good with people,” he adds. “Because he’s young, a lot of the guys can relate to him. I think that’s really helpful for them. It’s the first games, new things happen and it’s never going to be easy for them. He’ll do well in time.”
The renewed purpose of the former midfield maestro has reignited quandaries over Walcott’s own future. He is currently thriving as a pundit but he would be lying if professional coaching hadn’t crossed his mind. “I haven’t ruled it out,” reveals Walcott, whose burgeoning passion steps from managing both of his sons’ respective grassroots teams.
“ I would potentially look into more academies,” he adds, insisting the glamour of senior management isn’t his priority. “I like working with the younger generation. Essentially you need to (give them) building blocks to be able to make sure they’re in the right mindset for the dressing room and that environment. It starts there for me. I’m definitely considering it.”
Walcott says he’s not ready for the jump just yet. Having seen his life consumed by football for his entire adult life, he is enjoying the family life that comes with newfound freedom – something he “missed out a lot on”. However, he has an idea when that time for change may come. “It’s a big call after the World Cup for me. I think that’s basically (when) my decision will be made. We’ll see where I’m stood and then go from there, but I have not ruled it out because I want to help out.
“I could talk about it all day, however on the training field, when you’re there with the kids or younger adults, that’s where it matters really. No one has to see it, it’s not the for people to see. It’s just something that I have passion with.”
For now, Walcott is content with taking inspiration from his mate as he contemplates whether or not to follow suit. But it seems he doesn’t simply want to watch and learn Wilshere on from afar. “I’ll have to go visit him, see what is going on.”
Prime Video’s coverage of Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid is available at no additional cost for Prime members
