Huge Gary Sweet decision at Luton Town raised eyebrows - it can land cash jackpot | OneFootball

Jack Wilshere's appointment at Luton initially raised eyebrows, but Gary Sweet's trust in him could soon be rewarded with League One promotion.

Luton Town will be looking to make a swift return back into the Championship this season, and the Hatters are finding a strong run of form at the ideal time of this year's League One campaign.

The Hatters had previously struggled to put together a consistent run of wins, which saw them hovering around mid-table in the third tier of English football.

Luton have only been beaten once in the last couple of months, which came in a freak defensive display against fellow play-off chasing rivals, Reading at Kenilworth Road.

Jack Wilshere's side were the better of the two teams in that clash with the Berkshire-based side, but some costly errors late on gifted the Royals the three points on the day.

Luton haven't let that defeat impact their push for a top-six finish though, and they've looked stronger than ever since then, much to the delight of the club's supporters.

They kept themselves within touching distance of the play-offs with a narrow win over Northampton Town in midweek, where Kal Naismith's stunning free-kick secured the three points for the home side.

Gary Sweet's major decision could be a masterstroke

Many eyebrows were raised when Luton Town appointed Jack Wilshere in the October 2025, especially considering that this was the former Arsenal midfielder's first full-time managerial role at senior level.

Wilshere started his coaching career with Arsenal's Under-18s team, before briefly taking charge on an temporary basis at Norwich City as an interim coach.

It's always somewhat of a risk to appoint a manager with little experience in charge, but Luton CEO, Gary Sweet took that chance, and it's looking as though it's an agreement that could provide the Hatters with a sizeable cash jackpot if things go their way from now until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Wilshere has already brought silverware to Luton Town in his first year in charge, having beaten Stockport County in the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley earlier this month, and the Kenilworth Road faithful will be hoping that they can make another trip to the capital in the near future.

Can the Hatters hold their nerve?

Luton are the form team in League One, and if they were to force their way into the play-offs before the season reaches a conclusion, then you would imagine that none of the other teams in the play-offs would want to come up against Wilshere's side, especially when they're in such an impressive run of form.

The Hatters are hunting down the likes of Stockport County and Stevenage, whilst also being aware of the threat from the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town, who both still have an outside chance of beating Luton to one of the top-six positions in League One.

If Luton can win promotion via a trip to Wembley in the play-offs, then it could provide them with one of the biggest financial prizes in the EFL, and Wilshere will be gaining plenty of plaudits for his role in that.

Sometimes in football, you have to take a chance with a bold move when it comes to managerial appointments, and Gary Sweet has done exactly that.

He could be set to be rewarded with promotion back into the second tier, and not only would that be a welcome cash boost for the Hatters, but it would also put them heading back in the right direction, after what has been a tricky last couple of seasons in particular.

If Wilshere can continue to impress in charge of Luton, then it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him being linked with a move elsewhere, as he's already showing hugely promising signs in the early stages of his managerial career.