This weekend brings about an intriguing reunion from West Ham United’s relatively modern past as Jack Wilshere takes charge of Luton Town in League One for only a second time.
Not only that, two London Stadium loanees will go head to head in Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at Sixfields.
Centre-back Michael Forbes is enjoying an ‘unbelievable experience’ at Northampton Town. Playing first-team football on a regular basis for the first time in the Football League, he helped The Cobblers accumulate seven clean sheets in eight games until Rotherham snapped that spell a few weeks back.
Jack Wilshere cannot wait to see Gideon Kodua in action from the Luton dugout, meanwhile. Kodua captained West Ham to Youth Cup glory against Wilshere’s Arsenal Under-18 side back in 2023, capping a 5-1 obliteration with a sumptuous lobbed finish.
Two years later, they are now pulling in the same direction and sharing a dressing room in Bedfordshire.
The Hatters’ trip to third-tier rivals Northampton will also see Wilshere renew acquaintances with another familiar face. His former West Ham United coach – and ex-mentor – Kevin Nolan.
Jack Wilshere loved working with Kevin Nolan at West Ham United
Wilshere joined West Ham from Arsenal back in 2018 after those relentless injury issues brought a premature end to his time at the Emirates.
The boyhood Hammers fan would not see eye to eye with Manuel Pellegrini, though he found life a lot easier once David Moyes took the reins.
It was also Moyes who brought former Upton Park midfielder Nolan back to his old stomping ground. This time, as an assistant coach.
“I have so much respect for Kev,” Wilshere now tells the Northampton Chronicle. “Everyone knows that my time at West Ham wasn’t what I wanted. I grew up a West Ham fan but it didn’t work out with injuries, and I had a bit of a falling out with the manager [Pellegrini].
“But then Moyesy came in with Kev and Kev just put his arm around me. The relationship was almost forced upon us because I wasn’t in the team and he was the coach who was coaching me. But he was amazing. He had so much empathy and he understood where I was coming from.
“I wanted to play but he was fantastic and he did so much for me. He was a proper player as well, and we used to have plenty of banter.”
Michael Forbes faces Gideon Kodua as Northampton host Luton Town
By his own admission, Nolan did not expect to see Wilshere going up against him in the dugout. Especially at the age of just 33.
The latter will face the former during only his second match in senior management. Wilshere suffered a debut 2-0 home defeat by Mansfield Town last weekend.
Points and wins are already of ever-increasing importance for this rookie of a head coach, given that a team who were playing Premier League football as recently as 2024 are now just three points above the drop zone in England’s third tier.
“I know [Nolan] said he didn’t think I would go into coaching and, to be honest, when I was at West Ham I never thought about that. It didn’t cross my mind until I left,” Wilshere admits.
“But Kev is a top coach and he’s done a great job at Northampton. I wish him all the best. Just not tomorrow!”
Northampton are currently four places and one point above Luton in the League One table.
The aforementioned Kodua is likely to find himself up against Forbes at Sixfields, in a battle between two players who have outgrown academy football at parent club West Ham.
Kamarai Swyer is making his mark under Kevin Nolan now, too, following an injury-interrupted start to life with Northampton.
“I don’t want to talk about him!” Wilshere said of Kodua earlier in the week. “He was excellent in that [2023 Youth Cup final]. And the first time I saw him, I said ‘hello’ to him. He was all shy and I said, ‘don’t forget what you did to me.’
“He started laughing. But in that game, actually last season as well [during his loan spell at Wycombe], when someone breaks your heart like that, you follow their journey. I thought he had an interesting season last year and it’s definitely a season for him to kick on.
“He has the ability to. We need to get him positions more where he can show his ability, but he’s very exciting.”
