Luton striker eyes Canada World Cup place after cutting short Southend loan spell to join Chesterfield

Luton striker Bim Pepple has targeted a place in Canada’s 2026 World Cup squad after being recalled by the Hatters from National League side Southend United and immediately sent on loan to League Two Chesterfield for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old forward, who has had spells with Grimsby, Bromley and Inverness Caledonian Thistle since arriving at Kenilworth Road from Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC in August 2022, appeared to be thriving having moved to Roots Hall in the summer, scoring seven times in 19 National League appearances and netting his first career hat-trick in the recent 5-3 FA Trophy win at Brentwood Town.

With Canada ranked 31st by FIFA, two places below Wales, and having made two appearances in the World Cup Finals, unable to get out of the group stages in both 1986 and 2022, they are co-hosting the 2026 tournament along with the United States of America and Mexico, which guarantees automatic qualification.

That has seen Pepple, who has played for his country at U17 level previously, take the chance to try and prove himself in the Football League again in a bid to earn selection for Les Rouges, although he conceded it had been an exceptionally tough call to leave the Shrimpers, as speaking to the Southend Echo, he said: “With the World Cup coming up in 2026, Canada are hosting and it’s a goal of mine to be on that plane. I know what kind of level I need to be playing at to make it a possibility.

"The chance to move up with the World Cup coming up was hard to turn down but it was a very, very tough decision and I’ll always be thankful to everyone at the club. It’s the most fun I’ve had playing football and it was amazing. I started off a bit slow and I didn’t score for a couple of games but as soon as the goal at Solihull went in it just took off. I felt the love and I’m going to miss it. It’s making it really sad to leave. It wasn’t fully my decision but obviously I had a bit of a say. There were a couple of clubs and I had to speak with Luton as well. It just had to be done but it’s very sad and bitter-sweet.”

Pepple will now look to help his new side in their quest to reach League One under manager Paul Cook as they sit in 10th place, but just six points away from the play-offs. The Spireites host Rotherham in the Football League Trophy tomorrow night and then travel to Grimsby Town in the league this weekend as talking to the club’s official site about his move, Pepple added: “I’m delighted to be here. I hit a good run of form at Southend and I’m just focused on bringing that to League Two. Every time I have spoken to the gaffer, it has been good and I’m excited to work with him.”

With news of his departure from United made public, a statement on the Southend official website said: “Southend United can confirm that Aribim Pepple has been recalled from his loan by Luton Town. The 22-year-old forward scored 11 goals after joining the Shrimpers at the end of August, making 23 appearances in all competitions during his stay at Roots Hall.

"Pepple had been due to spend the remainder of the season with Blues but his parent club have taken the decision to activate a mid-season recall clause, with a view to a move to a club at a higher level. Everyone at the club would like to thank Bim for his efforts and wishes him all the best for the future.”