Former Arsenal midfielder and coach Jack Wilshere has revealed why he left the club to pursue a move to Norwich City.
The 32-year-old came through the Hale End academy as a player, coming through in 2008 and making an instant impression.
He went on to be one of Arsenal’s youngest-ever goalscorers, with a big career ahead of him at the top of the game.
While Wilshere did have his moments, injuries ravaged his career and impacted him to the point of retiring early at 30 years old.
That saw the former star move into coaching at Arsenal, working with the youth teams and going on to help the youngsters now coming through.
While it appeared to be a role he’d have for a while, Wilshere left Arsenal for Norwich City earlier in the year, coming as a surprise exit.
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Jack Wilshere discusses leaving Arsenal for Norwich City
Wilshere left Arsenal in late October, joining Championship outfit Norwich as part of their senior team coaching staff.
Johannes Hoff Thorup, the Canaries coach, was looking for a new member for his team after losing Narcis Pelach – who joined Stoke City as head coach.
There was also an existing relationship between Wilshere and Ben Knapper, who is the current sporting director at Norwich and was previously the loan manager at Arsenal.
Discussing his reason for leaving, he told the official Norwich YouTube channel: “I always said that it would take a lot to take me out of Arsenal.
“It is my club, and it is close to my home; I was developing nicely, but when this opportunity came up and from what I’d heard about Johannes [Hoff Thorup] and the opportunity to work with him and Ben [Knapper], I was really excited.
“It didn’t take long to make my decision, the methodology that he is developing, the individual interplay and style while trying to get a lot of information to the players and help them understand certain situations [is impressive].
“Johannes has a clear way in every phase of the game, so it’s about me learning that and then giving the players the best chance every week to go out there and perform.”
It shows Wilshere’s clear ambition to keep developing, with his move to senior football helping him gain much more experience.
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Who has replaced Jack Wilshere at Arsenal?
Wilshere’s role at Arsenal was as the under-18s head coach, taking charge of developing some of the youngsters at the club.
It was a path that the former midfielder knew well from his time at the club coming through the ranks.
Given his experience of playing for Arsenal, England and plenty of other teams, there was lots of value in having the 32-year-old in their ranks.
Replacing him was tough, with the club deciding that Adam Birchall would be the best fit for the role as Wilshere’s replacement.
The 40-year-old also came through the Arsenal academy but didn’t make a league appearance for the club before playing across the EFL.
His coaching career has seen him take charge of the Arsenal under-17s, the age group before his promotion to the under-18s.
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