Marshall eager to make Luton his 'home' after leaving Hammers
Young forward has had three loan spells in his career so far
New Luton forward Callum Marshall is eager to make Luton Town his ‘home’ after agreeing to move to Kenilworth Road on a permanent deal from West Ham United yesterday.
The 21-year-old burst onto the youth scene after joining the Hammers from Northern Ireland Premiership side Linfield, a start at U18 and Premier League 2 level, scoring over 50 goals in just two seasons. His prolific form alerted the attention of several sides, as he headed to Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion in January 2024, making three appearances for the Baggies.
Marshall then spent the 2024-25 campaign at Huddersfield Town, where he caught the eye of Terriers fans after a return of 10 goals and four assists from 46 matches, enough to earn him the Player of the Season award at the John Smith’s Stadium. Last term he threatened to break into the first team squad at the London Stadium, handed his Premier League debut against Arsenal and also featuring off the bench against Brentford too.
However, he was soon out again, moving to 2.Bundesliga side VfL Bochum in January, where he scored twice in 16 outings for the German club. Having had three loan spells in his career, Marshall insisted he wanted to make the next place he joined a permanent home and has now done that, signing a long term contract with Luton.
Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “People around me, like my agent and my dad – people I would speak to for advice – they say, ‘You need to belong somewhere’. Whenever you are a loan player, it’s difficult because you’re not their player. I’m used to going somewhere as a visitor for a year. So coming here permanently, this is my home now and hopefully I can get settled off the pitch as well as on it.
“It feels great to get the deal done. I think that Luton are heading in the right direction and all the meetings I’ve had with Jack and the coaching staff, they’ve really made me feel wanted and I like what I’ve been told."
The forward, who has already won 16 caps for his country, playing in four World Cup qualifiers, although yet to find the net, was clearly one of the stand-out prospects in front of goal during his time in the West Ham youth ranks. It was one of the main reasons that alerted him to the attentions of Wilshere, having netted in the Hammers’ 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal U18s in the 2023 FA Youth Cup Final, with the Gunners managed by Town’s boss at the time.
Getting the chance to work with the former England star was another huge pulling point for Marshall as well, who added: “I played against him when he was Arsenal 18s coach and that was one of the big drawing points to Luton as well, the fact that Jack’s here.
"I think he should be good for my career, and he’s a manager I want to work under, so hopefully it goes well this season and we all get what we want. I want to be playing regularly, feeling part of something as a team, like we’re going somewhere. So I think this is a great next step for my career and hopefully I can push on."