Jack Wilshere has hailed Luton Town teenager Dawid Gawel as a “fox in the box” but warned fans that the 17-year-old’s next challenge is proving he can consistently deliver at Under-21 level rather than expecting more first-team opportunities.
The Polish hotshot bagged his first senior goal as the Hatters thrashed Ipswich Town Under-21s 6-0 in the Jersey Mike’s Subs Trophy on Tuesday night.
Gawel came off the bench late on for Devante Cole – who bagged his first Luton goal nine eight months after signing from Port Vale – and needed only seven minutes to make his mark, showing the instinct in front of goal which has already seen him establish a formidable scoring record at academy level, where he he registered more than 50 goal involvements, including more than 40 goals.
That saw the youngster voted the SoLYD Academy Young Player of the Season at the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust Awards at the end of last term.
Having joined Luton from Everton in July 2025 after coming through the Toffees’ academy, he has already begun making the step up through the age groups, and a few before his milestone strike on Tuesday he scored twice against Peterborough United in the PDL Cup.
And Wilshere believes the teenager possesses the natural instincts of a striker, saying: “He’s a fox in the box.
“And I think he might be disappointed as well because I think he had a couple of other chances. But you could see his movement, especially for the last chance, I think the linesman gave it offside, it wasn’t offside.
“But as soon as he recognises the defender’s body shape, he’s in position. He tries to attack in behind him.”
The Luton boss believes Gawel’s rapid development is a reflection of the work being done by the club’s academy, but says the teenager now needs to prove he can reproduce his goalscoring form at the next level.
“He’s developing really well. And that’s credit to the academy coaches,” Wilshere said.
“We try and get the balance right with Dawid. His goalscoring record with the under-18s was outstanding last season. It’s not normal to score that amount of goals.
“And now his challenge is to take that into the under-21s and do that consistently, while getting the right amount of first-team experience and training, like he did [against Ipswich]. But he’s developing really well and he needs to keep going that way.”
Gawel’s composed finish – which saw him take one touch to evade the defender before burying confidently in the bottom corner – is likely to fuel calls from supporters for the teenager to be given more opportunities with the senior side, particularly given his prolific record at youth level.
But Wilshere was keen to stress that there is a development process to follow rather than simply promoting a player because he has made an immediate impression.
Asked whether Gawel’s performance could lead to more first-team involvement, Wilshere said: “No, it’s the right challenge at the right time. And his next challenge, in my opinion, is to do that consistently for the 21s.
“I watched a few games and 21s football is different to 18s football. It’s a step up. He’s done OK in certain games, but he also needs to find his way at that level and get the experience he needs there and score some goals there, and then push us, push me.
“And in training he has an opportunity to do that as well. But I’m really happy he got his goal.”
Gawel became Luton’s seventh youngest scorer and asked about his maiden strike in senior football, he told LTFC +: “It’s just surreal, really. It’s kind of a relief because I had a couple of balls that went into me. I’ve had a lot of spaces to run in behind.
“I had two or three. The first two, my touch wasn’t that great there. The third one, I got my touch right, finished, so I’m delighted.
“Everyone believes in me to make an impact. I just had a feeling that I was going to get the chance to score and I did.
“It was tidy. I just watched it in the changing room and I’m happy with it.”
Gawel was one of five academy products that played, including Zach Ioannides, who made his full debut and the goalscorer said: “It just shows the pathway that the academy gives. And the first team manager really believes in us. It just shows all the academy boys that we can go on there, play for this club and play in this competition.”
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