Town chief reveals Championship desire saw 'top guy' Alli leave Luton

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere revealed that a desire to play in the Championship was the main reason why attacker Milli Alli was allowed to leave the club recently.

The 26-year-old had moved to Kenilworth Road from Exeter City in January 2025 when Town were a second tier side themselves, as having opened his account in the 1-1 draw at Stoke City, went on to score four goals in six matches that almost, but couldn’t quite, save Luton from relegation. Having struggled to get going when back in League One, netting once in 22 matches for the Hatters in all competitions, Alli didn’t feature a great deal under Wilshere when the ex-England and Arsenal star took over in October, return to the Championship on a temporary basis when joining Portsmouth on loan in January.

The winger scored once in 21 outings while at Fratton Park, adding two assists, as unlike Town, Pompey were able to stay up, Alli going on to make his Republic of Ireland when coming off the bench and setting up a goal during a 5-0 international friendly win over Grenada once the campaign had ended. When the Hatters returned to pre-season training at the Brache, and still in League One after missing out on the play-offs last term, a permanent departure for Alli always appeared on the cards.

It happened when he headed to Charlton Athletic, becoming the latest Luton player to sign for former Hatters boss Nathan Jones, joining the likes of Thomas Kaminski, Reece Burke and Amari’i Bell in moving to the Valley. Asked about his exit, Wilshere said: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Milli and he’s a top person, one of the nicest people I’ve met.

"We had a really honest conversation way back at the end of last season and he wanted to move on. He felt like he could play in the Championship and clearly Charlton do as well. So nothing but good wishes from me and everyone in the dressing room, the staff and everyone. He’s a top guy who deserves a chance in the Championship.”