Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is a surprise name in contention for MLS team Colorado Rapids’ head coaching job. The former England international has impressed since taking over as the manager of the Arsenal U-18s team and a move into senior contention could be an option as the Rapids seek a new head coach.
The Rapids, which forms part of the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment portfolio alongside Arsenal, have been on the lookout for a new head coach since the departure of Robin Fraser who left in September, with Scotsman Chris Little having taken the reins on an interim basis.
However, according to The Athletic, Wilshere is a leading candidate to take over on a permanent basis. The 31-year-old is said to have impressed in his interview with the owners at the Denver based MLS outfit.
Now, it appears that the stars may have alligned for both parties, with the Arsenal legend eager to take the step up into senior full time management. With the Rapids sold on the idea of bringing in a high-profile name in Wilshere, having already made an approach to his current employers.
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Wilshere led the Gunners’ U18s team to the FA Youth Cup final in April but his young players were beaten by West Ham United. They have started this season in mixed form and currently sit in seventh place in the their league after seven games.
While his status as a top level coach remains to be seen, there is no doubting the former midfielder’s credentials in terms of his playing career, having played 97 times for Arsenal, while scoring 14 goals over a ten year professional spell. He would later move on to West Ham and Bournemouth before finishing his career at Danish club AGF.
It comes as little surprise that the Kroenke family are looking to overhaul the coaching staff at the Colorado Rapids after what has been a difficult season. The team are rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference in MLS following a campaign to forget.
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Speaking to the Independent earlier this year, Wilshere expressed his love for coaching, saying: “I love it, honestly. It’s given me back the real deep love for football and I didn’t know I’d lost it to be honest. I came back here last year and I was coaching a bit, training a bit.
“Then I had a decision to make. Do I want to go to Denmark? I loved it, I loved the country, the people, but I didn’t love it as much.
“When I came back here, and it might be because it’s Arsenal, I feel like people here genuinely care about me, which is nice. I love it on the grass, trying to beat teams, trying to work out a way to play against teams, trying to develop an individual.”
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