Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has played down speculation about potentially facing Tottenham Hotspur in the Championship next season, as his Luton Town side push for promotion from League One. While Luton are vying for a play-off spot, Tottenham are fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League with only four matches remaining.
Luton's Play-Off Hopes
Wilshere's Luton currently sit seventh in League One, just one point behind sixth-placed Stevenage. Their chances of securing a play-off place depend on defeating Bolton Wanderers on Saturday and hoping Stevenage drop points against Wigan Athletic. Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast on Wednesday, Wilshere was pressed by former Arsenal teammate Ray Parlour about the prospect of facing Tottenham in the Championship next term.
"I knew you were going to say that," Wilshere responded with a smirk. "Listen, the focus is on us. We only focus on us."
Tottenham's Relegation Battle
Tottenham, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, are 18th in the Premier League, two points from safety. They secured a 1-0 win at Wolves at the weekend, but the victory was marred by injuries to Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke. Spurs now have 10 players sidelined, including Wilson Odobert, Mohamed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Pape Matar Sarr. They face Aston Villa on Sunday, while relegation rivals West Ham take on Brentford.
Wilshere's Managerial Success
Things are looking brighter at Kenilworth Road, where Wilshere has already won silverware this season. The former Arsenal midfielder led Luton to victory over Stockport County in the EFL Trophy final earlier this month. Taking charge in October, this is his first permanent role in senior management, and he is flourishing.
When asked about facing a play-off rival on the final day, Wilshere said: "It's still tight and I know they'll want to finish third because you obviously get a little bit of advantage. I believe that once you're in the play-offs the games are something special and it's about who the best team is on the day and who deals with that pressure the best."
He added: "I can't see Bolton doing that [resting players] because they'll want to finish third and I think you get home advantage for the second leg. I think they'll be going for that and also you want to go into it in good form, you want to have momentum and they're a good team."
