It is no secret that Gideon Kodua was going to leave West Ham United at some point in 2026, with Jack Wilshere taking to the Chadwell Heath graduate immediately after his appointment at Luton Town.
Just three weeks ago, former England and Arsenal playmaker Wilshere admitted he was ‘desperate’ to sign Kodua on a permanent basis.
Fortunately for him, West Ham United allowed Luton Town to include an option-to-buy clause as part of the arrangement when signing the versatile wideman on loan last summer. A clause the League One outfit triggered on Friday lunchtime.
Kodua leaves for just £1m after nine goals in 17 starts…
How do YOU feel about the deal?
Interestingly, Wilshere was the Arsenal U18 coach when Kodua captained West Ham to FA Youth Cup glory in 2023. This made for a rather awkward first interaction between the two men, Wilshere joked when taking on his first ever senior managerial role in the autumn. Since then, he and Kodua have struck up a fine relationship.
The 21-year-old has hit double figures for the season, scoring nine times in just 17 third-tier starts.
- Tell us how you feel about Kodua’s exit by signing up for free here!
Gideon Kodua ‘so happy’ to join Luton Town from West Ham United
Speaking to the official Luton website, Wilshere described Kodua’s contributions as ‘outstanding’. Not only is he their top scorer, but he also has a habit of scoring big goals at big moments. Kodua scored two winners in January alone. Half of his ten strikes, meanwhile, have come in the 80th minute or later.
Kodua jumped at the chance to join Luton, initially on a temporary basis. At 21, with his West Ham contract running out, and having enjoyed previous loan spells in the third tier with Wycombe Wanderers, the London-born dynamo felt that the time was right to embark on life away from Rush Green.
He now draws a line under his West Ham career for good.
“I’m so happy to have made the move permanent. It’s something I’ve wanted,” Kodua says.
“You can see on the pitch how passionate I am playing for the club and contributing. It’s about continuing what I’ve been doing, scoring goals and playing well.
“It’s been like going back to my old ways. When I was 18, this was normal to me, being a goalscorer. It was just about transitioning into the men’s game and showing people that I can do it at senior level.
“I have my own goals and targets for the season, which I won’t say now but I’ll let you know by May!”
Kodua’s goals have fired Jack Wilshere’s Hatters into the promotion race
Kodua is averaging a goal every three games at Luton. In contrast, he scored only three times in 35 Wycombe matches.
“I’m so grateful to Matt [Bloomfield, former Luton boss] for bringing me here, and Jack’s been amazing to me,” Kodua says of Wilshere, who spent two years at West Ham himself between 2018 and 2020.
“He wants to improve me as a player, which is the main thing for me, and he wants to elevate my career. I feel like I am improving day by day with my knowledge of the game, tactically and technically, so he has been good to me in terms of my development. I can’t complain!
“I just want to excite the fans and give back to them, and as I’ve said before, I never take anything for granted. Every time I do put it in the net, it means more because we know that we want to go somewhere this season together.
“Hopefully they keep loving me!”
Kodua leaves for £1m after West Ham lost Emeka Adiele and Josh Sowunmi
Emeka Adiele’s shock exit has divided our readers! 🤔
How do YOU feel about it?
According to Standard Sport reporter Sam Tabuteau, Luton have paid just £1 million to sign Kodua on a full-time basis. He is the third West Ham academy kid to leave the club in the space of seven days.
Elisha Sowunmi crossed London to join Tottenham Hotspur, while Emeka Adiele could not resist first-team football with FC Utrecht in the Netherlands.
“Gids is so important to how we want to play,” beams Wilshere. “He’s one that I knew plenty about before I came here, after scoring against my team in the FA Youth Cup final for West Ham, but since we’ve been in he has been outstanding for us.
“His contribution in terms of output is there for all to see with the number of goals he’s scored. But what you don’t see is his attitude to working and improving himself on a daily basis at the training ground.
“He’s emerged as a key character within the squad and someone we are so pleased to have on board now for the long-term, and not just the remainder of this season.”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
