Luton

Wilshere briefly returned to Luton in 2021, being invited to train at the club by then boss Nathan Jones after he had left West Ham.

He says it was around this time that he started considering a move into coaching.

And Wilshere took advice from current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta before taking a managerial job.

“About a year ago I asked Mikel when he knew he was ready,” Wilshere said at his news conference on Monday.

“He laughed and said ‘you just have to jump in and swim as hard as you can’.

“He’s done that really well and this feels a little similar. It’s a different level but Arsenal wasn’t a nice place when Mikel went in.

“The fans weren’t sure what was happening and he built complete unity and trust in what he was doing.”

Yet it was clear to some Wilshere was going to become a manager much earlier in his career.

“You could see the way his brain works, what he sees on the football pitch, how he wants to play the game and change things,” said Paul Robinson, who played with Wilshere when he was on loan at Bolton in 2010.

“You could always see that he would go into [management] and the coaching side eventually.”

Robinson added: “You [can see the] players who could go on and be good coaches, they understand the game, and they can change the game quickly with a different formation or moving players to a different position…

“With Jack, he was always that type of guy. He understood it. He always wanted to talk about different things.

“He was a young player and he always demanded things of you, like he was a senior player. He would always dictate things on a football pitch and make me see the game differently as well.”

Former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere has been named manager of League One side Luton Town.

The 33-year-old succeeds Matt Bloomfield, who was sacked earlier this month having spent less than a year in charge at Kenilworth Road.

It is Wilshere’s first full-time managerial role, taking over a Luton side 11th in the third tier following back-to-back relegations.

He beat Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens to the role and is believed to have signed a three-year deal.

Chris Powell has also joined Luton as Wilshere’s assistant – the former England left-back had been at Walsall for just two weeks as interim first-team coach, coming in to cover for Gary Waddock as he recovers from ankle surgery.

“It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be named Luton Town manager,” Wilshere told the club’s official site, having left the Hatters aged nine to join Arsenal.

“It feels like a full-circle moment for me. I was eight when I first came to Luton as a boy, so I guess you could say it’s fate that my first full-time club managerial position is at this club.

“This club’s story inspires me. 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.”

CHARLTON’s new stopper Thomas Kaminski has opened up on his struggles following his father’s tragic death near the end of last season.

Kaminski, 32, joined the Addicks from Luton after a difficult time on and off the pitch, as the Hatters’ second consecutive relegation saw them tumble down the football pyramid.

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The double relegation from the Premier League to League One in consecutive seasons was put firmly into context by the sad passing of his dad Jacek, aged 65.

He died of a heart attack while out on a scooter back home in Belgium.

It came just days before the Hatters’ penultimate game last term against Coventry at Kenilworth Road.

After dashing back home to be with his family he still returned to play in the final two matches.

They beat the Sky Blues before losing 5-3 at West Brom, which saw Luton go down on goal difference.

Kaminski told SunSport: “It was a big disappointment to be relegated — but I had different things on my mind this summer because of my dad. He was the main man in my career and life so it was a tough time.

“I didn’t have time to process the relegation.

“When you reflect, yes, it’s disappointing — but it’s also only football.”
Kaminski is proud to have played in the Prem with the Hatters, which his dad was able to witness.

The Belgian played all of the Hatters’ 38 games in the top flight and said: “It was a good experience. It was always my dream to play in the Premier League.

“You come up against these players that can make the difference in any game. It was different to the Championship, it was less physical but quick.

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“It was all in and around the box — more cutbacks rather than crosses. It was quick and intense.

“And you know that you’re going to need to make at least a couple of good saves every game.

“I became a better keeper for the experience.”

That season in the Prem has given Kaminski a desire to get back there.

And he joined Charlton this summer believing the promoted side are on the up under manager Nathan Jones.

He said: “This is most definitely a team going places. We’ve some good players, young ones, and talented boys coming through the academy.

“And the manager is very intense.  He’s demanding on every aspect. And that’s how I work the best.”

Kaminski also looked forward to the Addicks’ match on Saturday, reassuring QPR No 1 Joe Walsh that he knows exactly how he feels after letting in SEVEN at Coventry last weekend.

The Belgian conceded just as many in a 7-0 thumping while playing for Blackburn against Fulham at Ewood Park almost four years ago.

But Kaminski insists the south-east Londoners should not treat their visit to Loftus Road as a lunchtime stroll in the park because the R’s and Walsh will be a wounded animal following that 7-1 loss.

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He said: “I’ve been exactly where Joe has been but we beat Sheffield United 3-1 in the next game.

“So I am certain that they’re going to be right up for this one — in front of their own fans in a London derby. So we’ll have to be at our best.

“I always have sympathy for other keepers. I hope Joe has a good game but we take the three points.

“From my own experience of coming off the pitch letting in seven, everything that could go wrong did.

“We had a man sent off but were only 2-0 down at half-time. We said in the dressing room, ‘Let’s not concede any more goals’.

“But Harry Wilson, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Rodrigo Muniz were on fire and we were well beaten. Against Sheffield United we went behind again after about 90 seconds so there was that feeling, ‘Oh no, not again’.

“But you learn from big defeats like that one to turn it into a positive.

“What I took from it was you have to move on quickly and learn from the goals you’ve conceded. It’s never nice to let in seven but it’s part of football.”

In the past year, seven of the UK’s 10 busiest airports have increased the cost of dropping off a loved one before travel – to the point that London Luton is now more expensive than a stay at the Ritz

Drop-off charges at one major UK airport have risen so much it’s more expensive – minute by minute – seeing a loved one off than staying at the Ritz hotel in London.

Most of the UK’s busiest airports have upped the prices of their drop-off zones, commonly known as “kiss and fly” areas, where travellers can say a quick farewell to their loved ones before jetting off. In the past year, seven of the aviation hubs have either increased prices or reduced how long drivers can stay before higher fees are applicable.

Luton Airport currently has the highest per-minute cost the UK’s busiest airports – charging £5 for five minutes before the £1 a minute fare rolls in for a maximum of 20. These prices rose steeply following the renovation of Luton’s drop-off zone after it was torched in a fire in October 2023. Before the fire, it was £5 for 10 minutes followed by the £1-a-minute charge.

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For a deluxe king room at Mayfair’s Ritz hotel, you’d pay £1,149 per night, which works out at around 91p a minute. The airport said the charge helps maintain the flow of passengers and traffic, claiming that the majority of visits are within five minutes. They signposted customers to the mid-stay car park, which is a ten-minute walk to the airport terminal.

It tells The Times: “With a £5 fee, the barrierless system keeps passengers and the traffic flowing, with the average time spent in the area well within five minutes. For those with more time, drivers have a range of free and paid-for drop off, pick up and parking options to choose from.”

According to the RAC, these kiss and fly charges are “bordering on the ridiculous”. Rod Dennis from the RAC said: “Drivers will be understandably aghast at the prospect of paying as much as £7 for what amounts to nothing more than opening the boot so a friend or relative can collect their luggage and catch their flight.

“The problem is a lack of practical — and affordable — alternatives for getting to many airports. Faced with the choice of a double-decker bus with lots of luggage, or forking out for a taxi, it’s easy to see why people feel they have no option other than to drive.”

Many of the major airports ask drivers to pay before or after they arrive and late payment charges are issued if a payment isn’t made within 24 hours or by midnight the following day.

Graham Conway from Select Car Leasing, based in Reading, said: “Failingto pay for drop-off parking or exceeding your time limit can really hit you in the wallet. It’s all too easy to forget to log on and to then remember with a sense of dread when it’s too late.”