Luton Town & Blackpool facing potential 7-figure stumbling block in pursuit of League One manager | OneFootball

Both Blackpool and Luton Town are interested in the appointment of Richie Wellens as manager

Both Luton Town and Blackpool will have to pay hefty compensation in order to lure Richie Wellens from Leyton Orient.

According to Alan Nixon, the east London outfit are looking to hold onto their manager, and will not let him go easily, with a big price-tag on his head.

The Hatters are searching for a replacement for Matt Bloomfield following their decision to dismiss the coach 11 games into the new campaign, with the Bedfordshire outfit 11th in the League One table.

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce was sacked by the Seasiders last with the club sitting 23rd in the third tier, and in danger of being in a relegation battle this year.

Wellens has earned a lot of plaudits for his work with the O’s, which includes taking them to the League One play-off final in the previous campaign, but they missed out on promotion with a loss to Charlton Athletic at Wembley back in May.

Leyton Orient seeking significant compensation for Luton Town & Blackpool target Richie Wellens

It is believed that Luton are eyeing a move to appoint Wellens as their next coach after their decision to part ways with Bloomfield was confirmed earlier this week.

But they face competition from Blackpool, who are also searching for a new manager after Bruce was sacked this week as well, and Wellens holds significant ties to the Tangerines, having played for the club in their midfield 226 times between 2000 and 2005.

It is understood that Leyton Orient are going to fight to keep hold of the 45-year-old though, who has been in charge of the club since March 2022, and the compensation figure that they are believed to be seeking could be in the region of the £1 million mark.

During his time at Brisbane Road, Wellens has overseen promotion with the O’s after winning the League Two title in 2023, and the club have gone from strength to strength in the time since.

The London outfit missed out on a place in the Championship last season, and have now made an underwhelming start to the new campaign.

However, despite their poor form, it’s being reported that Wellens is still attracting interest from rival clubs, who could now look to make their move despite the financial road block that appears to be in the way.

It’s no surprise Leyton Orient want to fight to keep Richie Wellens

Wellens generating interest from both Blackpool and Luton is not a shock, as he should be highly coveted based on his work with Leyton Orient - especially based on results from the 2024-25 season.

Orient came very close to promotion last year, which was an impressive feat for a club of their size, and Wellens deserves a lot of credit for that.

Luton are aiming to gain promotion straight back to the Championship, and the 45-year-old’s track record suggests he could be up for the task, although it's not as though he's exactly got the O's firing yet this season.

Despite that though, Leyton Orient are right to be pushing for a big compensation figure, given his importance around the place - it remains to be seen though as to whether he'd make the move to a club in the same division.