Learning from Arteta and inspiring youngsters - Wilshere on management

Jack Wilshere won the FA Cup with Arsenal as a player in 2014 and 2015 and guided Luton Town to the EFL Trophy in April.

In the seventh episode of the new season, Kelly Somers sits down with Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere.

Jack Wilshere’s footballing career has gone full circle.

From starting out at Luton Town aged seven, Wilshere went on to win trophies at Arsenal and represent England at two major tournaments, before having to retire early because of injury problems and moving into coaching.

Now, he is back where he began, at Luton, this time as manager.

Sitting overlooking the pitches he used to play on as a youngster, the 34-year-old spoke to BBC Sport’s Kelly Somers for The Football Interview and discussed his career - and how he hopes he can use his experiences to improve his players.

An exciting attacking midfielder with an ability to spot a pass or dribble past his opponent, Wilshere twice won the FA Cup with the Gunners.

He played in the Premier League 182 times and represented England on 34 occasions, appearing at both the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the European Championship in France two years later.

But injuries plagued the latter part of his career, with him announcing his retirement at only 30.

However, there were no regrets.

“I loved it [my career], I’m really proud,” he said. “I got to play for my country and represent them at two major tournaments. OK, they didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but I got to do it. I scored for my country, I played for the club I loved growing up, so pride is the biggest thing.”

On 13 October it will be one year since Wilshere became Luton boss, his first senior management role - although he had been in interim charge of Norwich City for a two-game spell at the end of the previous season.

He has already won silverware in his time with the Hatters, guiding them to the EFL Trophy, beating Stockport County 3-1 at Wembley in April in front of a crowd of nearly 50,000.

“I’m 34 now and probably could still be playing,” he added. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of playing, but I also really, really love this and I’m fortunate to start my [management] journey early. I’m really grateful to the club and the board for giving me that opportunity because they didn’t need to. I was a young coach wanting to make my first step into the game.”

Immediately after his playing career ended, he was invited back to Arsenal to coach their youngsters and instantly knew management and coaching was for him.

“I hear stories about people struggling in retirement and I retired on a Monday, and I was in with the [under] 18s on a Tuesday,” said Wilshere. “When I first went and walked through the door to coaching, I realised this is going to take over my life, and I need to commit myself to this if I want to improve.”

By that time Mikel Arteta, who had been Wilshere’s Arsenal team-mate for five years, was first-team manager.

Arteta guided the Gunners to the Premier League title in 2025-26, their first time as English champions in 22 years, and Wilshere felt the Spaniard had played a vital role in developing him as a coach.

“I got to see Mikel and how he coached and the influence he was having,” said Wilshere. “I would ask him questions, why he’s doing certain things, and I started to fall in love with it and how he started to prepare training sessions. I’d get an opportunity to practice that with the 18s in the afternoon and it was something I wasn’t that good at, and I felt uncomfortable at times.”

“I was influenced by Mikel, but then I had to learn how to teach. I had to learn how to get that across, how to plan a session and how to get the outcomes that you wanted. I played under some good coaches and was quite good at understanding what a coach wants, but I never dived into ‘why is he asking me to do that?’ Mikel really made that clear and I was lucky enough to have a relationship where I could say, ‘well, why do you want that?’ And he was open enough to share it with me.”

Not only did his former club Arsenal become English champions, but Wilshere gained extra satisfaction as he had coached defender Myles Lewis-Skelly, winger Ethan Nwaneri and midfielder Max Dowman during his time at the club’s academy.

Wilshere was only 16 when he made his Arsenal debut, and Dowman was 15 when he first played for the Gunners senior team, with Wilshere spotting his talent early on.

“Max played for my 18s team when he was 13,” added Wilshere. “I remember calling my dad because I played for the 18s when I was 14. I was like, ‘was 13 too young?’ In the first game we could clearly see that he was ready for it. And I remember calling my dad and saying, ‘you need to come watch this kid’. My dad did, and my dad’s very biased, as you could imagine. But even he said, ‘he’s better than you’.”

Wilshere, who is aiming to guide Luton to promotion to the Championship this season, felt one of his managerial strengths was being able to warn his young players of the perils of professional football.

Early in his career he had been pictured drinking and smoking, leading to criticism from then Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, but Wilshere said he learned from the experience and passes that knowledge on to his players.

“Yes, I made mistakes, but I also reflect on that,” said Wilshere, who also played for Bolton, Bournemouth, West Ham and Danish side AGF. “I had a manager that had high standards and he let me know that he was disappointed, but he also gave me another chance. You educate them, you let them know there’s a line and there’s things they can’t do. But also give them another chance. I believe in that.”

Wilshere’s man-management skills were shown when he delivered a passionate half-time team talk which then went viral on social media, as Luton trailed Reading 3-1 on the opening day of this season, only to recover and clinch a dramatic 4-3 win.

“You have to build that relationship with the players,” said Wilshere. “Players also want to have high standards. They want to be held accountable. Ever since day one, they’ve been all-in with what we’ve been trying to do. My idea is you have to work really, really hard. I want to give the players clarity in every single moment. I’d like to think I’m really hard-working, you have to be. You have to have a big love for the game because it takes over your life, which I do. Then if you have that blend and try and make it enjoyable for the players, there will be challenges along the way, but you’re on the right path.”

Man City confirm appeal against guilty verdict

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them

Manchester City have confirmed they have lodged an appeal after an independent commission found the club guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.

In a short statement, the club said the commission’s ruling contained “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe”.

Asserting its innocence, the club added it had filed “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence [that] exists in support of all of its positions” on Thursday evening.

Earlier on Friday, the Football Association said the verdict against City has “significant implications for the integrity of the game”.

In a statement, English football’s governing body added: “We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.”

It was confirmed on Tuesday that City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

“As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage,” the FA added.

“We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.”

The overarching powers the FA has could see the governing body launch its own investigation into the matter with the threat of further sanctions.

Sources told BBC Sport that City were expected to claim that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club’s owners, as part of an appeal.

However, City’s defence may be undermined by statements that major sponsor Etihad Airways gave to the United States government in 2015.

In response to the US Department of Commerce, Transportation and State during an investigation into state-owned airlines, Etihad Airways said: “The assertion that the Abu Dhabi government paid for Etihad’s sponsorship of English Premier League football club Manchester City is false. In 2011, Etihad and Manchester City entered into a 10-year sponsorship agreement, which included naming rights for Manchester City’s stadium. Etihad funded this sponsorship from its own liquidity.”

Etihad Airways later stated: “We are and have always been clear that we do not receive any subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government.”

The independent panel’s findings decided that City arranged “sham contracts” with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m.

The Premier League says City “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade”.

The independent commission which studied the case found City “utilised devices” to “disguise the true extent of certain club liabilities”.

The findings have prompted the Treasury Committee, which is responsible for overseeing policies and administration of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), to ask whether the government department has requested the redacted documents contained within the commission’s report.

Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the cross-party group of MPs, said she would “welcome reassurance from HMRC that you are seized of the importance of these issues and the public interest in this case”.

The letter follows a report from the Tax Policy Associates which claims City failed to pay as much as £12m in unpaid tax because of a “sham” contract with former manager Roberto Mancini.

In addition to unpaid income tax and National Insurance, the report claims City could face a penalty charge that would take their liabilities to £24m.

The Business, Innovation, Science and Trade committee has called for stronger action on corporate accounting in a letter to the government and the Financial Reporting Council.

Committee Chair Liam Byrne said the findings suggested a “serious failure of security” and that “clubs complying with the rules need confidence that those rules are enforced fairly”.

Separately, it has emerged that City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak met with business secretary Jonathan Reynolds days before the club’s guilty verdicts were announced.

The BBC has been told that the club was not mentioned and that Al Mubarak was visiting in his capacity as CEO of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund.

It is understood the pair’s discussions focussed on the UK’s relationship with the UAE including defence, security, intelligence and trade.

UK government sources argue it is “totally normal” for the business secretary to have these sorts of meetings.

The encounter was first reported by Bloomberg.

Additional reporting by BBC political correspondent Joe Pike.

The commission was made up of three people, each with many years’ experience in the legal field.

The appeal will now be heard in private by a new, three-person independent commission panel, each with a similar expert background in law.

One section of the Premier League regulations says that an appeal hearing should conclude within 12 weeks of it being heard, and a decision communicated within 30 days of that.

Twelve weeks from Thursday – when City say they lodged the appeal – would be 24 December.

But this timeframe can also be disapplied if deemed necessary, meaning it remains uncertain how long the process will actually take.

The relevant regulation was only added to the rule book this summer.

Previous precedent suggests that sanctions against City will only be imposed after a decision on the appeal, though this is not guaranteed.

There could therefore also be a second appeal later down the line, against any sanctions imposed on the club.

City will claim as part of their appeal that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club’s owners.

Owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) - a private investment company belonging to United Arab Emirates vice-president and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour - are said to have topped up the value of commercial deals as part of a “disguised funding scheme” to the scale of £830.69m.

This, it was argued, enabled the club to appear to comply with Premier League and Uefa financial rules.

Premier League rules allow state-owned bodies to sponsor clubs.

Etihad Airways has said it is considering legal action against the Premier League, claiming the release of the commission findings had “damaging implications… despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings”.

The UAE’s state-owned national airline said it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements”.

Etihad is owned by sovereign wealth fund L’Imad which is chaired by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the son of the UAE president.

Man City verdict has 'implications for game's integrity' - FA

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them

The independent commission’s verdict against Manchester City has “significant implications for the integrity of the game”, according to the Football Association.

In a statement, English football’s governing body added: “We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.”

The FA’s statement comes after it was confirmed on Tuesday that City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

City have repeatedly denied guilt, and have until Friday to lodge an appeal.

“As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage,” the FA added.

“We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.”

Sources told BBC Sport that City were expected to claim that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club’s owners, as part of an appeal.

Among the independent panel’s findings were that City arranged “sham contracts” with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m.

The Premier League says City “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade”.

The independent commission which studied the case found City “utilised devices” to “disguise the true extent of certain club liabilities”.

The findings have prompted the Treasury Committee, which is responsible for overseeing policies and administration of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), to ask whether the government department has requested the redacted documents contained within the commission’s report.

Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the cross-party group of MPs, said she would “welcome reassurance from HMRC that you are seized of the importance of these issues and the public interest in this case”.

The letter follows a report from the Tax Policy Associates which claims City failed to pay as much as £12m in unpaid tax because of a “sham” contract with former manager Roberto Mancini.

In addition to unpaid income tax and National Insurance, the report claims City could face a penalty charge that would take their liabilities to £24m.

City will claim as part of their appeal that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club’s owners.

Owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) - a private investment company belonging to United Arab Emirates vice-president and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour - are said to have topped up the value of commercial deals as part of a “disguised funding scheme” to the scale of £830.69m.

This, it was argued, enabled the club to appear to comply with Premier League and Uefa financial rules.

Premier League rules allow state-owned bodies to sponsor clubs.

City’s principal sponsor Etihad Airways has said it is considering legal action against the Premier League, claiming the release of the commission findings had “damaging implications… despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings”.

The UAE’s state-owned national airline said it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements”.

Etihad is owned by sovereign wealth fund L’Imad which is chaired by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the son of the UAE president.

Why Aston Villa are playing Sevilla for a trophy you haven't heard of

Aston Villa are playing for a trophy with special meaning

On Friday evening, Aston Villa will walk out at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium to compete for a piece of silverware that, outside of Spain, few supporters will have heard of, the Antonio Puerta Trophy.

It’s a friendly match held in memory of Sevilla academy graduate Antonio Puerta, who died in August 2007 at the age of 22.

Puerta suffered a cardiac arrest during a La Liga match against Getafe and, despite initially appearing to recover and walking to the dressing room, collapsed again and died three days later in hospital.

His death stunned Spanish football. He had been one of Sevilla’s own.

Puerta made his first-team debut during the 2003-04 season and went on to make 88 appearances for the club and one for Spain, in 2006.

He helped his team win five trophies in 15 months, including two consecutive Uefa Cups, now known as the Europa League.

A year after his death, Sevilla created a trophy in his honour and what began as a relatively modest pre-season fixture has become an annual part of the club’s calendar.

This year’s 15th edition of the Antonio Puerta Trophy is particularly interesting because Aston Villa are the first English club to be invited to play for it.

There is also an obvious connection between the two clubs.

Villa boss Unai Emery will return to the stadium where he enjoyed one of the most successful spells of his managerial career.

Emery managed Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, winning the Europa League three times in succession.

Sevilla have won 12 of the previous 14 editions of the trophy, with only Granada and Boca Juniors having managed to beat them in the fixture.

The early editions were all-Spanish affairs, with Sevilla taking on fellow La Liga clubs, before teams from outside the country began to be invited.

Boca Juniors became the first overseas opponent in 2016, followed by Roma, Schalke, Independiente del Valle, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah.

Villa’s Leon Goretzka has travelled to Sevilla after a knee injury so could be available to play.

Striker Brian Madjo is also available after being out since Villa’s 2-1 loss to Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup in August, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis will also look to get more minutes.

Why Aston Villa played Sevilla for a trophy you haven't heard of

On Friday evening, Aston Villa walked out at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to compete for a piece of silverware that, outside of Spain, few supporters will have heard of, the Antonio Puerta Trophy.

Unai Emery’s side won the friendly match which is held in memory of Sevilla academy graduate Antonio Puerta, who died in August 2007 at the age of 22.

Puerta suffered cardiac arrest during a La Liga match against Getafe and, despite initially appearing to recover and walking to the dressing room, collapsed again and died three days later in hospital.

His death stunned Spanish football. He had been one of Sevilla’s own.

Puerta made his first-team debut during the 2003-04 season and went on to make 88 appearances for the club and one for Spain, in 2006.

He helped his team win five trophies in 15 months, including two consecutive Uefa Cups, now known as the Europa League.

A year after his death, Sevilla created a trophy in his honour and what began as a relatively modest pre-season fixture has become an annual part of the club’s calendar.

This year’s 15th edition of the Antonio Puerta Trophy is particularly interesting because Aston Villa were the first English club to be invited to play for it.

There is also an obvious connection between the two clubs.

Villa boss Unai Emery returned to the stadium where he enjoyed one of the most successful spells of his managerial career.

Emery managed Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, winning the Europa League three times in succession.

Sevilla had won 12 of the previous 14 editions of the trophy, with only Granada and Boca Juniors having managed to beat them in the fixture.

The early editions were all-Spanish affairs, with Sevilla taking on fellow La Liga clubs, before teams from outside the country began to be invited.

Boca Juniors became the first overseas opponent in 2016, followed by Roma, Schalke, Independiente del Valle, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah.

Alejandro Garnacho was among the scorers as Aston Villa netted three times in 12 minutes in a 3-1 victory.

Isaac Romero opened the scoring for Sevilla after the break but Ross Barkley levelled before Garnacho scored and Max Jenner added a third.

Garnacho started along with centre-half Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who has made just one start since his £30m summer move from Southampton.

Villa striker Brian Madjo returned from injury as a second-half substitute, having been out since scoring on his debut against Paris St-Germain in the Super Cup in August.