Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere has revealed he may look to raid former club Arsenal over the summer as he looks to launch a promotion bid next season.
The 34-year-old landed his first permanent managerial role in October following the departure of Matt Bloomfield at Kenilworth Road. An inconsistent few months followed, leaving Luton playing catch up in the race to finish in the League One play-off places.
An excellent run in the latter stages of the campaign saw Wilshere guide his team to the brink of the top six, where an impressive 3-2 win away at Bolton Wanderers on the final day looked to be enough for the Hatters to extend their season. However, a controversial late victory for Stevenage against Wigan Athletic condemned them to a seventh-placed finish.
Wilshere Hails Importance Of Loans
Luton will consider themselves one of the favourites to challenge for the League One title next season, despite the disappointment of missing out on promotion this time around. Victory in the EFL Trophy in April provided a huge boost and the club announced earlier this month that just three players will depart at the end of their respective contracts.
Additions are expected though and Wilshere has admitted that he is likely to be dipping into the loan market. Speaking to talkSPORT, the ex-England international was asked whether he had been in contact with former club Arsenal about the possibility of taking some of their young stars:
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“Obviously I was in the academy and I’ve got a good link there, with the loans manager and the staff. I’m always in contact with them to see, as I know a couple of them.
“I know a couple of them went out on loan this year (Ismeal Kabia to Shrewsbury and Charles Sagoe to Kalmar) and I’m always keeping eyes on them.
“We took one from Man City, Emilio Lawrence, in January and if you look at his experience on loan, he came in, he was in the team, left out of the team and I told him that he had to earn my trust. He did that and he didn’t look back, he just pushed on from there, so I do feel like loans are really good at this level, for both parties.
“For us, because they add quality, there’s a reason why they’re at Man City and Arsenal, but also for their development.”
Luton Need To Hit The Ground Running
Luton’s relegation from the Championship a year ago was a major shock, especially as they were playing Premier League football just 12 months prior. As a result, they were the heavy favourites to succeed in League One but a poor start always left them playing catch up.
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Although that time was preceded over by Bloomfield, Wilshere knows that he can’t afford a repeat next season. The young manager will remain in the dugout but he needs to lay down a marker to the rest of the division in order to keep his position.
Their form over the past couple of months will give supporters an enormous cause for optimism though. It’s imperative that any summer business adds quality to an already settled squad.