Why Jack Wilshere has taken the Luton Town job - he's confirmed the reasons | OneFootball

Jack Wilshere has opened up on why he took the Luton Town manager job

Jack Wilshere has been appointed the new Luton Town manager.

The Hatters have experienced a tumultuous last few years, after achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2023.

Under Rob Edwards, they put up a good survival fight but were relegated from the top-flight immediately and suffered an almighty hangover the following season.

Poor form in the Championship led to Edwards getting the sack, with Matt Bloomfield given the task of keeping Luton up.

That task proved unachievable, and the Kenilworth Road outfit suffered successive relegations.

Back in the third-tier, Luton haven’t looked like they will be fighting to stay in the division, but also don’t currently seem capable of pushing for promotion, which would’ve been the expectation going into the season.

This led to Bloomfield receiving his marching orders after just 10 months and Wilshere was subsequently appointed in his place.

The 33-year-old has been out of work since the end of the 2024/25 campaign, where he enjoyed a short stint leading Norwich City following the departure of Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Now set for his first full-time job as a first-team manager in professional football, the former Arsenal and England midfielder has opened up on why he has taken the role.

Jack Wilshere reveals why he took Luton Town job

For such a young manager, Wilshere already has an enormous amount of pedigree in the game, after spending over two years coaching in Arsenal’s academy set up before joining Norwich’s coaching staff.

The 33-year-old began his career with the Kenilworth Road outfit in their Centre of Excellence, before joining the Gunners when he was nine years old.

Luton have clearly decided that this experience is enough to satisfy their requirements and believe Wilshere is the man to lead them up the League One standings.

The Hatters’ new boss has revealed why he was tempted into taking the job in an interview with the club’s media channels following his arrival.

“This Club’s story inspires me,” said Wilshere. “Built on belief, unity, and hard work.

“The Club have shown incredible character on and off the pitch in recent times, and I’m honoured to lead to take the responsibility to lead this group into the future.

“There’s so much of the season still to play for and I’m excited about getting to work and putting my own stamp on things and moving this club forward in a positive direction.

“I want to give the Luton fans a team they can be proud of, and the work to do that starts today.”

Jack Wilshere’s arrival could save Luton Town’s season

Given how Luton started the season under Bloomfield, it seemed unlikely that they would be able to challenge towards the top of League One.

Although relegation didn’t look like a serious threat, it would’ve been underwhelming for the Hatters’ faithful to see them so uncompetitive in the third-tier.

However, that could all change thanks to Wilshere’s arrival. The 33-year-old will bring a fresh enthusiasm to Kenilworth Road and new ideas, which could seriously turn Luton’s fortunes around.

Wilshere’s side sit just five points outside the play-off places at this stage and with a strong run of form, it could be no time at all before Luton get themselves back in contention for a spot in the Championship.