Jack Wilshere has added to his attacking options with the signing of experienced midfielder Kasey Palmer on loan for the rest of the season.
Jamaican international Palmer, 29, joins the Town from Hull City after making 11 appearances this season in the Championship for the Tigers.
On his latest arrival, Wilshere said: “Kasey gives you experience and know-how in important moments, like when we’ve dominated games but haven’t been able to see it over the line.
“He’s had pressure on him from a young age, when he left Charlton as a 16-year-old. Chris Powell was the manager who tried to convince him to stay there, but Chelsea came in and he played in their youth team that won everything.
“He then went on and has been at some big clubs and played in huge games, like the Championship play-off final against Luton, and international matches for Jamaica.
“He can play in all the positions across the midfield, and with his physicality, he can give us more balance in the squad and ability to rotate, especially when you consider the run of games we’ve got coming up and their importance.
“We’ve asked him to step down a level, but he’s still hungry and ambitious, so the selling point was helping us to get back to the Championship. He’s someone who is going to help us between now and the end of the season.”
After completing his medical at The Brache, Kasey said: “It’s for me to put my stamp on the team early, try and impress from day one and get the team up the table as much as we can. I hope I can contribute to Luton getting back to the Championship.
“I will do my best to use my experience to help others, but at the same time try and score, assist, be an attacking threat and create chances, and hopefully be winning games so all that stuff comes naturally.
“You look at the squad that’s here and you’d expect play-offs as the bare minimum. I think it’s for the players now to deliver.
“You can’t always say ‘We’ve got this squad, and we should be here’. You’ve got to deliver. So for me as well, coming in, I’ve got to deliver. That’s just how football is.”
The story so far
Palmer began his career at the academy at Charlton before moving to Chelsea where the attacking midfielder won five major youth honours with the Blues including two FA Youth Cups, two UEFA Youth League and the Under-21 Premier League.
His first taste of senior football wasn’t bad, either. A loan at Huddersfield saw him score five goals in 27 games, helping the Terriers win promotion to the Premier League in 2016/17.
Palmer played four times the following campaign for Huddersfield in the Premier League before further loans in the Championship at Derby, Blackburn and Bristol City before signing for the Robins on a permanent deal in August 2019 for an undisclosed fee.
After 62 appearances at Ashton Gate, Palmer then moved to Coventry in the summer of 2022 and in his second season, helped the Sky Blues reach the play-off final against the Hatters.
In the summer of 2024 he then made the switch to Hull and scored his first goal for the Tigers in their 3-1 win at Stoke in September. He went onto make 26 appearances in total last term and so far this season has played 11 times this season.
Internationally, Palmer has represented England at Under-17, Under-18, Under-20 and Under-21 levels, winning the 2016 Toulon Tournament for the latter of the age groups.
Switching his allegiance to represent Jamaica in March 2021, Palmer won his first cap in the same month against USA and has been a part of the Reggae Boyz’s run to the World Cup play-offs.
Welcome to Luton Town, Kasey!
