Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere believes facing Saudi Pro League side Al Kholood in the heat of Spain will provide exactly the type of challenge his squad needs ahead of the new League One season.
The Hatters will take on the Saudi outfit at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia on July 25 during their pre-season training camp, with Wilshere revealing the fixture was carefully selected as part of the club’s wider preparations for the 2026/27 campaign.
The Town boss told the club’s website: “The staff are in and working on pre-season and the games we picked are not just random games.
“At the end of the season we reviewed where we were good, where we weren’t good, and all of those games will help us fit in to the stage of pre-season we’re at, the right challenge at the right time, and what we feel we need to work on to be ready for the season.
“With the one in Spain, we are going to face a team that are used to that heat, so they are going to challenge us.
“We are going to have to be sharp and fit going into that game, and we’ll push players to try and get through those conditions because that’ll only help us going into the season.”
Wilshere has previously outlined his ambition for Luton to be among the fittest and hardest-working teams in League One next season, with several members of the squad already returning to The Brache for voluntary off-season training sessions.
The former Arsenal midfielder said planning for the new campaign is well underway as he looks to build on the momentum generated during the second half of last season.
“We feel like we’ve got everything planned in terms of what we are going to coach,” Wilshere said.
“The priority was to get Jordan Clark and Liam Walsh sorted from the start of the close season, and we are working hard on recruitment as we need to bring some players in, but overall we are in a good place right now.”
The fixture against Al Kholood is one of four pre-season matches announced so far, alongside trips to Hitchin Town and Barnet, plus a home clash with Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles at Kenilworth Road.
One game Wilshere is particularly looking forward to is Luton’s opening friendly at Hitchin Town on July 11.
The 34-year-old grew up in the Hertfordshire town and admitted he has a special affection for the club, who will use the game as a testimonial match for Canaries legend Mark Burke.
“I was born and bred in Hitchin, so I’ve got a little bit of a soft spot for Hitchin Town and I’ve known Burkey for years,” Wilshere said.
“He’s a great guy and I actually went there with the Under-18s at Arsenal, we played a friendly there every year, so I’ve coached against him a few times when he was manager.
“I know he does some scouting for us as well, so it’ll be a really good one for supporters to get behind.”
Wilshere also stressed the importance of ensuring supporters remain connected to the squad throughout pre-season.
“Part of pre-season is for us to get the right challenge at the right time, but also we want the fans to feel like they are part of it,” he said.
“They’ll like the ones at Barnet and against Go Ahead Eagles at Kenilworth Road as well. But to start off at Hitchin; a nice local one, for a good man. It’ll be a great occasion.”
Luton’s pre-season schedule comes before the new campaign begins in August, with the first round of the Carabao Cup set to take place on the weekend of August 7-9 before the League One season gets under way.
Pre-season schedule:
Saturday 11th July – Hitchin Town (a) – 1pm
Saturday 18th July – Barnet (a) – 1pm
Saturday 25th July – Al Kholood – Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain
Sunday 2nd August – Go Ahead Eagles (h) – 1pm
Be the first to comment