How much money Luton Town or Blackpool would need to pay to hire Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens | OneFootball

The Hatters and the Tangerines have been credited with an interest in the Orient manager.

Luton Town and Blackpool are reportedly keen on hiring Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens as their potential new manager.

Both the Hatters and the Seasiders have opened fresh vacancies in their respective dugouts, as both sides grapple with disappointing starts to their respective League One campaigns.

Steve Bruce was relieved of his duties as Blackpool boss on 4 October after spending a year in charge at Bloomfield Road, but defeat against AFC Wimbledon last time out took the loss tally to seven league games from their opening 11, with only Peterborough United below them in the table.

Two days later, Luton axed Matt Bloomfield with the club sitting in 11th, with the former Wycombe Wanderers gaffer having been appointed as Rob Edwards' successor back in January.

However, the 41-year-old was unable to steer the Hatters clear of Championship relegation, and wasn't able to get his team to come charging out of the blocks and cement themselves as promotion contenders through the first quarter of the season.

How much Luton Town or Blackpool would need to pay Leyton Orient in compensation for Richie Wellens

Now, according to a report from journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon this week, both Blackpool and Luton Town have potentially identified the same leading candidate to become their new manager: Leyton Orient boss, Richie Wellens.

It's claimed that Luton are keen on appointing the 45-year-old, are now considering making an official approach to Orient for his services.

Whilst it's also stated in Nixon's report that the Hatters will face stiff competition from Blackpool, as the Tangerines are also interested in the former Doncaster Rovers manager to fill the Bruce void at Bloomfield Road, and could offer him a bigger transfer budget to work with than what he has in his current post.

However, Nixon states that Orient won't surrender their well-loved gaffer without a fight, and will demand a significant compensation fee if he is to be headhunted by another club.

But how much would that compensatory figure be? Well, Nixon writes that according to insiders close to the situation, it could be around the £1m mark.

Wellens did sign a new three-year contract with Leyton Orient this summer, meaning he's contracted with the O's until the summer of 2028.

Blackpool may hold advantage over Luton Town in Richie Wellens race for one key reason

It could be argued that out of Luton Town and Blackpool, it would be the former that could present Wellens with the most likely avenue to winning promotion out of League One.

Indeed, the Hatters have some considerable money behind them for third tier level given their immediate relegation from the Championship last season, having only dropped out of the Premier League in 2024.

They were also able to generate some serious money in the summer too through player sales, with significant fees being received for Thelo Aasgaard, Thomas Kaminski, Carlton Morris and Alfie Doughty respectively, among others.

Meanwhile, Blackpool are now in their third season back at League One level since their Championship relegation in 2022/23, and have as of yet been unable to register a play-off finish.

But, there is one potential big advantage that the Seasiders have over Luton that could see them secure his signature ahead of their divisional rivals, and that is that Wellens spent just over five years as a Blackpool player between 2000-2005.

He instantly became a first-team star and fan favourite with the Tangerines, and helped Blackpool triumph in the 2001 Third Division (now League Two) play-off final, over Leyton Orient no less, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Wellens also won silverware with Blackpool on two more occasions at the iconic stadium in the Welsh capital, winning the Football League Trophy in both 2002 and 2004, before leaving Bloomfield road in the summer of 2005 to sign for Oldham Athletic.

Therefore, he's still a highly thought of figure among the Bloomfield Road faithful, and the sentimental value that a return to Blackpool would bring for Wellens can't be undervalued in this race for his services that has seemingly developed.