Luton Town must not let £8.5k-a-week star leave - He is the Hatters' key to promotion | OneFootball

Thelo Aasgaard must not be sold this summer as Luton aim to return to the Championship in the new season

Luton Town have to resist potential transfer interest and keep hold of standout playmaker Thelo Aasgaard this summer as they look to bounce back to the Championship at the first time of asking following their relegation to League One.

23-year-old Aasgaard joined the Hatters from Wigan Athletic in the January window, and he became an instant starter at Kenilworth Road as Matt Bloomfield's side battled against the drop.

He was unable to save Luton from a surprise successive relegation into the third-tier on the final day of the campaign, but his impressive performances in his first five months at the club are bound to have alerted Championship clubs to his talents ahead of the summer window.

From the Hatters' point of view, it is absolutely imperative that they retain Aasgaard for their return to League One. He has already been a standout at the level with Wigan, and will be vital to their chances of a promotion push next season.

Aasgaard was impressive for Luton despite shock Championship relegation

Aasgaard first became part of Wigan's senior squad in 2020 at the age of 18, and he established himself as a Latics starter over the next few seasons before going on to step up even further at the start of the recent campaign to become their main man in attack under Shaun Maloney.

The Liverpool-born attacking midfielder's fine form alerted clubs in both the Premier League and Championship to his potential availability in the January window, as FLW exclusively revealed that Blackburn Rovers had placed him on their list of targets after a failed summer bid, while Stoke City were also linked and top-flight high-flyers Nottingham Forest were reported to be interested in his services.

It was, however, Luton that won the race for his signature in the final days of the window, as he joined the Hatters for a reported £3.5 million fee and went straight into their starting eleven for their away clash against Sheffield Wednesday four days after his arrival.

Aasgaard remained a starter throughout the entirety of his first half-season at Kenilworth Road, and put in numerous standout performances in the centre of midfield and further forward as a number 10, despite their poor form as a team.

He netted his first goal for the club with a crucial winner against Cardiff City on March 11, and scored again in a 3-1 victory against Bristol City on April 21 as the Hatters looked set to pull away from the bottom three to survival after being threatened by the drop for most of the campaign.

Luton's good fortunes saw them sit a place above the relegation zone heading into a final-day clash at West Brom, but they succumbed to a 5-3 loss at The Hawthorns and Hull City's draw at Portsmouth consigned them to a shock return to League One just a year after being in the Premier League.

Aasgaard ended the campaign with two goals and an assist in his first 17 appearances for the Hatters, and he made a huge impression on supporters and head-coach Bloomfield alike, who called him a "top performer" with the potential to "go on even further in the game."

Aasgaard has been urged to leave Luton - the Hatters must keep hold of him for next season

All connected to Luton will hope that Aasgaard does not see his immediate future lie elsewhere as they prepare for a League One promotion challenge next term, but dropping back into the third-tier will surely not be how he envisaged his first few months at the club going.

The 23-year-old, who was born in Liverpool but is of Norwegian descent through his father, made his senior debut for the Norway national team in March, amid Luton's relegation battle, and registered a goal and an assist in a 5-0 2026 World Cup qualifying win against Moldova to leave a great impression on boss Stale Solbakken.

The ex-Wolves boss, however, has issued somewhat of an ultimatum to Aasgaard regarding his international future, and admitted that he would have less chance of being called up if he continues to play for Luton in the third-tier in an interview with Nettavisen Sport following their relegation.

He said: "It was a calculated risk (to join Luton). Luton were in a difficult situation when Thelo changed clubs, but it goes without saying that it is difficult to play for the national team if you play in League One. He knows this."

Despite those comments, Solbakken is clearly still happy to give the ex-Wigan man a chance in his squad for now, having recently called him up for Norway's next round of World Cup qualifying fixtures against Italy and Estonia in June.

With that said, it does seem as if his patience will only last so long before he feels the 23-year-old is not deserving of a place in the national team, which could well make Aasgaard want to force a move back to the second-tier soon, especially with the World Cup on the horizon and Norway in with a decent chance of making it to the finals in the USA.

The aforementioned interest in him from teams in both the Championship and Premier League is sure to have only increased following his impressive start at Luton and their relegation to League One, but the Hatters are still in a decent position to demand a sizeable fee close to or even more than the reported £3.5m they paid for his services just five months ago.

The Bedfordshire club are still due to receive a hefty parachute payment package from their Premier League relegation last year, and their position as one of the likely stronger teams in the third-tier next season could well tempt the 23-year-old to stay for another term to help them back up to the Championship.

It is, in no uncertain terms, absolutely imperative that the Hatters keep hold of Aasgaard, as his experience and quality in League One is bound to make him one of the best players in the league in 2025/26, and he could hold the key to them being able to bounce back to return to the second-tier at the first time of asking.