Hatters manager talks about releasing three players from Kenilworth Road
Town manager Jack Wilshere is expecting a ‘busy summer’ in the transfer market after making what he termed as some ‘hard decisions’ when presenting his retained list last week.
The Luton boss opted to release three players, with young midfielder Zack Nelson, wingback Cohen Bramall, and striker Jacob Brown all seeking new clubs after their spells at Kenilworth Road came to an end. Nelson, 21, progressed through the ranks with the Hatters, making 51 appearances before spending the second half of the season on loan with AFC Wimbledon, while Brown, who scored seven goals in 60 appearances, including two in the Premier League, ended the season on loan at Championship club Portsmouth, where he played sparingly.
Despite playing brilliantly for Luton early in the season, including three spectacular free-kicks, former Arsenal youngster Bramall was allowed to leave. He suffered ankle ligament damage in a match against Blackpool in late January and never started again. Wilshere explained the trio’s departure to the club’s official website: “It’s critical that we improve as a team because we came short in the end, and we need to think on what that means. It’s still in progress and will be included in recruiting as well. “
There were some difficult decisions to make, not simple ones, and I recall the release list, in which we sent Zack out on loan to gain some more experience and play games, which he did. He went out and helped Wimbledon remain in the division, but we wanted to go in a different direction. The same with Browny, we released him knowing that we had the option of keeping him, but again we wanted to move in a different direction.
Cohen was somewhat different in that he contributed so much this season, assisted the team, and helped me personally when I initially joined, thus it required a little more thought. But, in the end, the team and club chose to move in a different direction, and with the financial regulations coming in, we had to make some difficult decisions that weren’t easy. “
Luton supporters were surprised that no more players departed, as the majority of the team remained under contract for the 2026-27 season, including Cauley Woodrow, who spent last season with Wycombe Wanderers, and Thomas Holmes, who was not even registered to play after Christmas. Midfielder Shandon Baptiste is still with the team, having missed the majority of the season due to a major knee injury, as are players such as Jerry Yates, Reuell Walters, Milli Alli, and Lasse Nordas, all of whom are on loan.
Wilshere anticipates some of them to move on, adding: “The retained list, there are some players on there that we retained that are under contract, but we will be looking to move on this summer, because I think one thing we did really well, the club and the recruitment team in January, we identified really quickly what type of players we want here, what we want the culture to look like. We want hungry players who truly want to be here and assist the squad, thus I spoke up and stated that. So some players will be returning from loan, but we’ll be looking to move on. “
Town are also in talks with long-serving midfielder Jordan Clark about a new contract to prolong his time at the club into a seventh season, as well as teammate Liam Walsh, who had a fantastic season, demonstrating the kind of form that earned him caps for England at U16 and U18 level. Wilshere said: “We’re in talks with certain players, including Clicker and Walshy, because of how important they were and are to me and the way we want to play, but also how important they were to turning things around at this club.
Especially when I think about Clicker and his interactions with everyone at the club, the fans, he is an essential element of what we want to accomplish, as is Walshy. So difficult decisions, but what I know from my experience as a player is that they desire clarity, that the coaches, the club be open with them. That has been part of the process for the past 10 days. I’ve sat down with each player and been as forthright as possible with them, telling them where I see them here or if I don’t see them here, so it’s going to be a hectic summer. “
