Mikel Arteta tips fan favorite to become future Arsenal manager

The current Arsenal manager has suggested the club may already have a potential successor in place.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his confidence in the potential of Jack Wilshere to one day become Arsenal’s first-team coach.

Wilshere is the current Under-18 head coach at Arsenal. The 31-year-old has held the role since July 2022. His coaching stint has shown promise as he led the team to the FA Youth Cup final last season.

According to The Athletic, Wilshere is eyeing a step up into senior management. The Englishman recently interviewed for the manager’s role at Colorado Rapids. He reportedly impressed the MLS club during the interview.

“I’m really happy that Jack is part of the setup. I think he’s done really well,” Arteta said of Wilshere during a press conference on Friday.

When asked if Wilshere may be an Arsenal manager one day, Arteta replied: “Yeah, but way down the line you don’t know when that is, it could be very soon!

“He’s got the potential to do it, now he’s clear in his mind what he wants to do and the reason why he wants to do it. It’s a big asset for the club to have him here.”

Arteta and Wilshere are former Arsenal teammates. They played alongside each other between 2011 and 2016, before Arteta retired.

Wilshere hung up his boots in 2022 after a series of injury setbacks. He was a product of Arsenal’s youth academy and made 197 first-team appearances. He also played for Bolton, West Ham, Bournemouth, and Aarhus GF.