Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere has talked of a shared determination to make the Hatters the “fittest team in the league” next season, as players voluntarily returned to training during their summer break.
Several of Town squad were back at The Brache last week for off-season conditioning work, despite pre-season not officially beginning until later this month. Photos released by the club have shown Gideon Kodua, Sverre Sandal, Christian Chigozie being put through their paces, while Liam Walsh also returned to sign his new deal.
Speaking in an interview on the club’s website, Wilshere revealed the early return was part of the groundwork being laid for a crucial 2026/27 campaign, with the Hatters aiming to build on the momentum generated during the second half of last season.
The Town boss has previously stressed the importance of physical standards since taking charge in October, and believes fitness and work ethic can provide the foundations for a successful promotion challenge.
Wilshere said: “We want to be the fittest team in the league, the hardest working team in the league.
“Yes, pre-season is for that. But we’ve also got some time now where we can bring them in, and everyone is fully on board.
“I remember as a player at times people asking you to come in on the off season and not everyone wanted to do it.
“But the group we’ve got here, they are committed, they understand that we have to start the season how we finished it, but also in order to be able to do that, we have to start working now.”
Having narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs while also winning the Vertu Trophy at Wembley, the disappointment of falling short has already fuelled preparations for the new campaign.
Wilshere has already spoken last month about delivering a “world-class pre-season”, with the club switching its traditional summer training camp from Slovenia to Spain.
Talking of getting players together as early as possible, Wilshere said: “It has been a good week. Coaches have been working hard since the season finished, number one to try and improve on last year, improve the way we play, improve our standards, improve the way we work – everything.
“We got the players in this week because we felt that it was a long break to have, so we wanted them check in, do a few sessions and tests to see where they are physically, and it’s been a good week.
“As important as it is that we push them and demand from them, it’s also important that they have a rest, they go away and they switch off, have time with their family and their friends.
“I’m a big believer in that, but we also wanted to get them in to remind them of a few things on the ball and coach them how we coach them in the season, so they remember it.”
Wilshere added: “They get to see each other, and not every single team and every single player in the team is going to be mates with each other, but there has to be a team spirit, there has to be a togetherness, and we have that here.
“I said that ever since I came in, the leaders in the group – your Kals [Naismith], your Clickers [Jordan Clark], your Walshies [Liam Walsh], your Savs [George Saville] – they set the standard. But we’ve also got a group of young players – Gids, Sverre now – who are fully committed.
“Some have different reasons. Some had really good seasons and they want to continue that. Some weren’t in the team as much as they wanted, and they want to prove to me that they deserve to be in the team.
“But yes, spending time with each other is also very important because we do that a lot during the season, so they have to have spirit and togetherness, which we have.”
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