Town striker plans talks with boss Bloomfield to see if he has a future at Luton

Luton striker Bim Pepple is waiting to see whether he has a future at Kenilworth Road following a successful season out on loan with both Southend United and Chesterfield.

The 22-year-old is still yet to make a first team appearance for the Hatters after signing from Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC in August 2022 under previous manager Nathan Jones, having just set the league record for scoring in five consecutive matches. The Kettering born forward went on to have an unsuccessful loan spell with League Two side Grimsby Town that season, playing 15 games without scoring, before heading to National League side Bromley the following campaign, unable to find the net in six matches.

He then moved north of the border to Scottish Championship outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle in February 2024, on target twice in 18 outings, returning to Luton that summer, after the Hatters had dropped out of the Premier League. Still under contract, Pepple went to National League side Southend United at the start of the 2024-25 season, and was a hit with Shrimpers fans, netting seven times in 19 league matches, plus bagging a hat-trick in the FA Trophy 5-3 victory over Brentwood Town as well.

Having reached double figures in 21 appearances, the striker was then recalled by Town, and sent to League Two side Chesterfield for the second half of the campaign, opening his EFL account with a double in the 5-2 victory over Doncaster Rovers a month later. He went on to score five times in 23 matches as the Spireites finished seventh to reach the play-offs, beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Walsall in the semi-final.

After 15 goals in 44 matches overall last season, Pepple will now return to Kenilworth Road and meet boss Matt Bloomfield for the first time, as the Hatters look to mount a promotion challenge back to the Championship. Being over the age of 21, the forward would have to take a squad place outright and whether or not that happens remains to be seen, as speaking to the Blues News podcast, Pepple, who is aiming for a place in Canada’s World Cup squad when they jointly host the 2026 tournament with Mexico and the United States, said: “I am a Luton player. I am going to get back into Luton for pre-season.

"I haven’t met the new gaffer yet. Obviously they have just come down to League One and I just played League Two last year and did pretty well. League One is not too far off so we will see. I will sit down with the gaffer and have a conversation with him about what is next for me whether it’s at Luton. The biggest thing for me is I want to be playing football. I enjoyed last season, that’s probably the most minutes I’ve played in my career across both clubs. I want to keep developing. I am a Luton player, my future is in their hands, so we will see what the club has planned for me.”

Although Pepple has had five loan clubs now in the two years he has been back in England, it was something he had expected when agreeing to make the move, as he continued: "I still remember the day I got the call from my agent. I was planning to sign for Forest Green and my agent called me and said Luton want to sign you. I thought he was pulling my leg, I was just hoping it went through. I ended up signing for Luton and it was a surreal moment to go from playing in Canada to stepping up.

"I got put straight with the first team, I was training with the first team and it was like wow. When I signed they kind of made it clear you’re going to be part of the first team but you’re a project player so you’re going to have go on loan a bit. We’re expecting you to take a couple of years to adapt and get to the level, but it was still for me, wow, a moment I was grateful for. I’m just really grateful to them for bringing me over to England and giving me the opportunity to develop now.”

Although the campaign ended in disappointment for Chesterfield, as they were unable to reach Wembley, Pepple had nothing but good things to say about his time in Derbyshire, as he felt he proved he can cut it in the fourth tier of English football at the second time of asking, adding: “I scored a couple of goals, I probably would have wanted a bit more, especially on the final day. The gaffer was brilliant, the whole staff were brilliant with me. Their man-management of me was really good.

"I loved my time there. I would have loved for it to have ended in promotion or a couple more goals but it was enjoyable and I showed I could play in League Two. The fans were really good, they got behind the team. It is a great club. I only have good things to say about everyone at the club. Everyone in the club made me feel super welcome, great changing room, similar to Southend – great club and great fans.

"The play-offs are tough and they come down to moments. We backed ourselves and we felt good going into it. The first leg left us with a lot to do going back to their place. They were comfortable to sit in and soak up the pressure. It was tough and quite disappointing not to go through but, on the whole, getting into the play-offs, considering everything that club had been through, was still exciting. For sure, next season, the goal for them is automatic promotion and there is no reason why they can’t."