Exclusive: Why Sky pundit is backing Luton Town to appoint Richie Wellens - 'no disrespect to Leyton Orient' | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively to FLW, Lee Hendrie has backed Luton Town to appoint Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens as their new manager.

Luton Town's beginning to the new campaign has been far from ideal, and with one victory in their last five games, the Hatters board has decided to pull the trigger on Matt Bloomfield and have lined up a host of names to replace him, including Leyton Orient's Richie Wellens.

Flash back to the summer of 2023, and if you were a Luton fan, you'd have been on top of the world after seeing your side rise all the way from the fifth tier to the Premier League in less than ten years.

Having beaten Coventry City on penalties, Luton were preparing for their first-ever season in the Premier League, but ultimately it wouldn't turn out to be the dream campaign many Hatters fans would have hoped for; immediately relegated back to the Championship.

Expectations were high upon their return to the second tier, but nobody could have foreseen Luton suffering a back-to-back relegation, having lost 5-3 to West Brom on the final day to confirm their fate.

Former Wycombe Wanderers boss Matt Bloomfield oversaw the club's relegation and was given the chance to rebuild the squad in his image over the summer, but after just 11 games into the new season, he has been relieved of his duties, with the Hatters sitting in 11th place.

Football League World exclusively broke the news of Luton's three-man shortlist for the position on Friday, including Jack Wilshere, Luke Williams and Leyton Orient's Wellens.

Wellens has emerged as the frontrunner, according to Luton Today, and Sky pundit Lee Hendrie has shared his thoughts on the link.

Lee Hendrie backs Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens to be a 'good appointment' for Luton Town

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has provided his thoughts on whether Wellens would make a good replacement for Bloomfield at Kenilworth Road.

Hendrie said, "Yeah, he had a great season last season. Richie Wellens, [he is] well known; his] style of play is really good to replace Matt Bloomfield.

"I think he will know the league well; he will have quality players there taking the step-up, no disrespect to Leyton Orient.

"Obviously, he's on a high; he's doing things really well on the progression side, so it's no surprise he's been linked.

"I'm sure there are other managers as well, but if it came down to the crunch, I feel that he would be a good appointment for them to take them on a promotion push this season.

Wellens has done a stellar job since taking charge of Leyton Orient in March 2022

Wellens has entered his fourth full season in charge at Leyton Orient since taking charge in March 2022, and has transformed the O's from a mid-table League Two side when he arrived, to one that was one game away from the Championship last season.

In his first full season in charge of the club, the 2022/23 season, Wellens steered the East London outfit to promotion from League Two for their first season back in the third tier for eight years, with his team romping to the fourth tier title with 91 points.

He has helped to stabilise the club in League One since then, and last season brought them to the brink of promotion to the second tier, but ultimately lost out to Nathan Jones' Charlton Athletic in the play-off final.

Having lost key players such as Jamie Donley, Ethan Galbraith, and Charlie Kelman, the O's have struggled to build upon the success of last season this campaign, and have been scrapping away near the foot of the table through the first quarter of the campaign.

Despite this, Wellens is still being touted for the role at Kenilworth Road thanks to his proven track record of rebuilding clubs on a tight budget, and overperforming on previously set expectations.

Wellens would not be afforded as tight a budget at Luton, with the club still possessing much of the Premier League money from less than two years ago, as well as having raised some serious funds in the summer through some big player sales.