By then, Mikel Arteta, who had spent five years playing alongside Wilshere at Arsenal, was managing the senior side.
Arteta led the Gunners to the 2025-26 Premier League trophy, ending their 22-year wait to become champions of England again. Wilshere believed the Spanish coach had also been instrumental in his own development on the touchline.
Wilshere said that watching Arteta work allowed him to understand the manager’s methods and impact. He regularly asked why particular decisions were made and gradually became fascinated by coaching and the process of preparing training sessions.
He was then able to test those ideas with the under-18 squad during afternoon sessions. Wilshere admitted that he initially lacked confidence in the role and sometimes found the experience uncomfortable.
Although Arteta provided much of his inspiration, Wilshere still needed to master the practical side of teaching. That included communicating instructions effectively, designing sessions and ensuring they produced the intended results.
Wilshere had worked with several accomplished coaches as a player and generally understood their expectations. However, he rarely considered the reasons behind their instructions. Arteta explained those details clearly and was willing to discuss his thinking whenever Wilshere asked questions.
Arsenal’s domestic success was particularly rewarding for Wilshere because he had previously coached defender Myles Lewis-Skelly, winger Ethan Nwaneri and midfielder Max Dowman in the club’s academy.
Wilshere made his Arsenal debut at 16, while Dowman was only 15 when he first appeared for the senior team. The former midfielder had recognised the youngster’s potential well before that breakthrough.
Wilshere recalled selecting Dowman for his under-18 team when the player was just 13. Because he himself had competed at that level at 14, he called his father to ask whether using someone a year younger might be premature.
Dowman’s first match quickly showed that he could handle the challenge. Wilshere subsequently invited his father to watch the teenager, and despite naturally favouring his son, he concluded that the young prospect was even better than Wilshere had been.
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