Jack Wilshere has said that Luton are not reliant on winning promotion to the Championship in order to sign key man Kasey Palmer and Davy van den Berg this summer.
Both midfielders arrived at Kenilworth Road on loan in January with Palmer proving a revelation with seven goals in his last 10 appearances, while Dutchman van den Berg has started Town’s last two games and has begun to find his feet in English football.
The Hatters have a chance of reaching the play-offs though they will likely have to win their final two games against Barnsley and Bolton, while hoping sixth-placed Stevenage — three points ahead of them — slip up.
With uncertainty surrounding the club’s league status and several players’ futures, Wilshere acknowledged that transfer decisions for the duo will depend on multiple factors, but made clear his desire to keep quality within the squad.
When asked whether Championship football would be required to keep Palmer, who is on loan from second tier Hull City, Wilshere said: “Ideally, yes, but I think Kasey’s made it pretty clear that he’s really happy here and he’d like to stay.
“It’s difficult for me to comment because I don’t know where we’re going to be, but I don’t necessarily think it’s Championship only for Kasey. Let’s see, let’s cross that bridge when we get to the end of the season.”
But asked about the potential for Utrecht midfielder van den Berg to stay at Luton, Wilshere said: “I think it all depends on a lot of things that can happen between now and then. We might be in the Championship, or we might be in League One. A lot depends on him as well. So, let’s get to the end of the season and we can sit down and say, ‘what do we think about this situation?’
“He’s a player that I like, so, of course, I’d like to keep good players here at Luton.”
Van den Berg has now begun to establish himself after a challenging adaptation period following his mid-season arrival, particularly in the last week after Jordan Clark’s injury opened the door to the starting XI.
“He’s doing a lot of work that probably a lot of people won’t see,” Wilshere said, on how the Dutchman as adapted, adding: “He really understands spaces and how his position affects the opposition, but also affects his team-mates.”
The Dutch midfielder has had to contend with competition for places with Clark and Palmer playing to a high level, plus the challenge of settling into a new environment.
Wilshere said: “[It’s] really difficult. But what I would say, as well, he’s thrown himself 100 per cent into that. He’s here without his family, which is difficult and brings its own challenges. He’s got two young kids, but he’s here, he’s committed.
“Even when he was frustrated and not in the team, he was one of our best trainers. He’s one of them that when he’s not in the team he’s angry, but he trains angry and I quite like it about him. Now he’s got his opportunity and he has to take it. I think he’s adapted well to that.”
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