How Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere reacted to Leicester City interest | OneFootball

Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere has reportedly been subject to an approach from Leicester City

Luton Town are expected to be in the mix for automatic promotion from League One this season after the Hatters narrowly missed out on a play-off spot on the final day of last term.

Just over two years ago, Luton were still a Premier League club, but back-to-back relegations saw them drop into the third tier. Despite a strong end to the campaign, Jack Wilshere's side will have to go again as they look to climb back up the pyramid.

The former Arsenal and England midfielder was given his first managerial role by the Luton hierarchy in October following the sacking of Matt Bloomfield and led the Hatters to a seventh-place finish, just one point off of the play-offs.

They did, however, lift the EFL Trophy after beating Stockport County 3-1 at Wembley and it appears as though the 34-year-old is committed to leading Luton back into the Championship amid interest elsewhere.

Wilshere turned down an approach from Leicester City

According to BBC Sport, Wilshere was subject to an approach from Leicester in recent weeks regarding their managerial vacancy, but turned down the opportunity to make the move to Luton's new League One rivals.

The report added that the Hatters boss wants to continue what he has started at Kenilworth Road instead of taking another job in the third tier.

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The Foxes have faced a similar demise to Luton, suffering back-to-back relegations from the Premier League to League One and will no doubt be one of the Hatters' biggest rivals in the promotion race this season.

Manager Gary Rowett left the club in the wake of relegation and it now looks as though Leicester are set to appoint former Rangers, Southampton, Swansea City and MK Dons boss Russell Martin.

As quoted by Luton Today, at the end of last season Wilshere reinforced his desire to keep working towards getting Luton back into the Championship after missing out on the play-offs.

“There is a good feeling from me, I’m more motivated than ever," he declared. "I know so much more about this league now, I know so much more about this club. I know the demands of the fans and work will start straight away. We’ll start looking to next season, trying to improve and trying to find ways we can get out of this division. We’ve had ups, we’ve had downs and I’ve enjoyed every moment.

"I’ve had the time of my life, the whole time, but especially the last couple of months where the players started to find some rhythm, started to find some momentum and I’m sure that if we’d have got in the play-offs, no one would have wanted to play us. That’s credit to the players, what they’ve created and how they’ve turned things around, because that takes resilience. I’ve genuinely loved it and I’m so hungry for more.”

Wilshere's commitment is a boost for Luton

Following the dream of promotion to the Premier League for the very first time in 2023, it has been a difficult couple of years for Luton fans as their club faces a second season in League One.

Although his spell didn't begin in the most convincing fashion, particularly during January and February, Wilshere oversaw an outstanding conclusion to last season.

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The Hatters went on a 12-game unbeaten streak, winning nine of those matches, and were desperately unlucky to miss out on sixth-place by just one point, having boasted a far superior goal difference to Stevenage.

Additionally, not many managers can say that they have lifted silverware at Wembley in their first season as a manager.

Luton are amongst the bookies' very early favourites for promotion from League One in the upcoming campaign, alongside the likes of Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport and Huddersfield Town, and with the benefit of having Wilshere in charge from the start of pre-season, it should be a more successful campaign for the Hatters.