Exclusive: Luton Town prepare recruitment shake-up as departure looms | OneFootball

A key recruitment figure is set to leave League One side Luton Town following an internal review, Football League World understands

Luton Town are undertaking changes both on and off-the-pitch after failing to achieve promotion out of League One at the first time of asking, and Football League World can exclusively reveal that a significant behind-the-scenes departure is set to be sanctioned at Kenilworth Road.

Tipped by many to be among the favourites to gain automatic promotion back to the Championship following successive relegations from the Premier League to English football's third-tier, the Hatters ultimately flattered to deceive for large parts of the 2025/26 campaign before eventually kicking on under Jack Wilshere, with the ex-Arsenal and England midfield star having replaced Matt Bloomfield in October of last year.

Luton would go unbeaten and win eight of their remaining eleven League One matches to enjoy a late-season surge towards top-six contention, although they agonisingly missed out on the play-offs on the final day despite claiming a dramatic 3-2 victory at Bolton Wanderers as results elsewhere condemned Wilshere's side to a seventh-placed finish and a second season outside of the Championship.

The Hatters' hierarchy have since gone back to the drawing board and are making a series of changes away from the field to give Wilshere the best chance of returning his side to the second-tier next time around, which leads FLW to break the news of a high-profile exit amid a shake-up to the club's recruitment department.

Luton Town recruitment manager Yousuf Sajjad set for Hatters exit

Changes to Luton's behind-the-scenes footballing operations have been well-documented, with Town chief executive Gary Sweet having hired William Lancefield as head of recruitment in May after the ex-Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur figure left a similar role with Scottish top-flight outfit Hearts.

Meanwhile, it was reported this morning by Bobby Manzi of the Daily Mail that Barry Webber is poised to leave his position as Crystal Palce's long-serving chief commercial officer to become Luton's new managing director, where he will play an instrumental role in the club's Power Court Stadium project.

Football League World can reveal a further change taking place in the Luton boardroom, as sources have revealed that the Hatters are set to part company with player recruitment manager Yousuf Sajjad.

FLW understands that this decision came following an internal review of the club's recruitment department, with Sajjad's time at Luton now coming to an end after his 2024 arrival.

Sajjad, who previously held scouting and recruitment positions with Reading, Chelsea and Arsenal while serving as technical director at Dutch side FC Den Bosch for a year-and-a-half before moving to Luton, was appointed to lead the Hatters' scouting and recruitment team last year when Phil Chapple left his job of chief scout to join Charlton Athletic and Kenilworth Road legend Mick Harford stepped back from overseeing the club's recruitment duties to take up an advisory role.

Luton's recruitment policy was widely hailed as a driving force behind the Bedfordshire club's stunning rise from League One to the Premier League under Nathan Jones and later Rob Edwards, although it has proved less successful in recent times.

19 players made their way to the club across the duration of last season, but a significant squad rebuilding process in the third-tier has shaped up to represent a mixed bag with extremely varying degrees of success.

The likes of Gideon Kodua, Jake Richards and George Saville have turned out to be inspired captures at Kenilworth Road, whereas loan deals for Emilio Lawrence and Kasey Palmer from Manchester City and Hull respectively also paid off, but Luton's overall hit-rate with transfers has been sub-par for some time now.

With that in mind, it's perhaps no great surprise to see the sanctioning of further changes away from the pitch as the Hatters continue to revamp their scouting and recruitment processes in a bid to bring greater value to the club and set the gears in motion for a fresh promotion charge in 2026/27.