Jack Wilshere confirmed as new Luton Town manager as he takes over the London club he was with at age of eight.
‘A full-circle moment for me’: Jack Wilshere confirmed as Luton manager.
The announcement of Jack Wilshere as Luton’s manager marks the former England and Arsenal midfielder’s first permanent position as team manager. Despite playing two games as Norwich’s caretaker manager at the close of the previous campaign, the 33-year-old was passed over for both the position and Plymouth’s summer opening.
Matt Bloomfield, who was fired last week due to Luton’s mid-table League One position, is replaced by Wilshere. During the 2023–24 season, the team was in the Premier League, although they have since been relegated twice.
Wilshere was in Luton’s centre of excellence before joining Arsenal at the age of nine. “It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be named Luton Town manager,” he told the club’s website. “It feels like a full-circle moment for me. I was eight when I first came to Luton as a boy, so I guess you could say it’s fate that my first full-time club managerial position is at this club. I couldn’t be more delighted to be here.”
Since his retirement in July 2022, Wilshere has served as Norwich’s first-team coach under Johannes Hoff Thorup and as an academy coach at Arsenal. On Saturday, he will play his first game at home against Mansfield.
Chris Powell, Wilshere’s assistant, has a wealth of managerial and coaching experience, including with Charlton and England.
Luton’s CEO, Gary Sweet, said of Wilshere’s links to the club: “That started as a very young boy in our youth system and has continued throughout his life, always living locally and with close friends who are long-term season ticket holders at Kenilworth Road. It was during his time training with our first team at The Brache in the summer of 2022 where he refamiliarised himself with the club, and realised the time was right to follow his coaching path.”