For the first time since their 2004 formation, MK Dons find themselves preparing for a third straight League Two season and the expectation is for this to be the one that ends in promotion.
This would if nothing else avenge each of the last two campaigns, when the Dons were talked up pre-season as contenders for promotion. For very different reasons, the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons failed to make that ambition, with the former being a wild ride that ended in play-off failure, while last season was just an unmitigated failure.
2025/26 therefore represents the Dons’ latest attempt to gain promotion and it would be safe to say that a first full summer with their new owners after last year’s takeover sees this aspiration backed by some serious cash.
Towards the end of last season’s disaster, MK Dons turned to Paul Warne as the pick for new manager. This was seen as a coup for a club that were on course to finish in the bottom 6 in League Two, given that they had just landed a manager whose CV includes 4 promotions from League One to the Championship.
Ahead of his first full season, Warne has duly been allowed to recruit, with several players that could do a job for League One and even Championship sides coming through the door into Stadium MK.
The headline signing is that of Aaron Collins, signed for a club record fee from Bolton Wanderers after being top scorer for the Trotters last season. It’s seen by many outside Milton Keynes as a coup to convince Collins to make such a leap of faith, and promising form and performances in pre-season certainly indicate he is likely to be a key presence towards determining the Dons’ fate.
Winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was also seen as something as coup, coming from Warne’s former club Derby, while plenty have been impressed by other signings such as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy from Crawley, former Stockport man Will Collar and Bolton’s Australian full-back Gethin Jones.
With Sheffield Wednesday’s Callum Paterson making for a surprise move from the Championship’s crisis club to MK Dons, it adds to a huge roster of attacking firepower for the Dons to have at their disposal, as well as hinting there could be elements of the Dons thinking beyond this season to have a base to work from in upper tiers assuming promotion is achieved.
Given the likes of Alex Gilbey, Dan Crowley, Scott Hogan, Callum Hendry, Jonathan Leko, Aaron Nemane, Conor Lemonheigh-Evans, Liam Kelly and others also remain as attacking options, it certainly hints the Dons could if they wanted to truly try for a “we’ll just outscore you” approach if they truly wanted.
While this isn’t necessarily the blueprint, Warne’s arrival looks set to facilitate a pivot for playing style.
The new Dons boss was one of several who spoke near the end of last season about seeking to move on from the MK Way and a lot of that was on display in the Dons’ pre-season commitments.
In the Dons’ friendlies, a pivot has been noteworthy. The formation looks to be a change from the back 3s that have dominated most of the last 8 years or so at Stadium MK in favour of a 4-2-3-1, though no doubt with the tactical versatility as required.
There was talk of trying to be a more direct team than relying on possession, an attempt to maximise set-pieces and use of a fluid front attacking unit with players that can rotate and play in multiple positions in a match. Hints of this were there in the friendlies, though it will naturally require the work to make sure this can be consistently laid down in proper competition.
One of the main things will certainly be about trying to create a change in atmosphere. The last 3 years have certainly brought about plenty of despair among Dons fans, whether in the entirely avoidable relegation in 2023, the late season collapse in 2024 and just utter misery between Christmas and Easter 2025. Creating a defiant atmosphere that can feel more resilient to shocks and make life hard for visitors and rivals is surely something that would stand Warne’s bunch in good stead if they can create these conditions.
An element that could be worth tracking with how well the Dons is in the defensive area. Last season, defending was a weak spot with the Dons conceding a load of rather avoidable goals and it probably hasn’t helped set-up the defensive side of the play that there have already been injury problems.
All of Jack Sanders, Laurence Maguire, Sam Sherring and Nathan Thompson missed parts of pre-season with injuries, while Luke Offord has had injury problems of his own at other stages of his career and indeed time in MK, with concerns also potentially there for full-back depth beyond new recruit right-back Jones and left-back Joe Tomlinson.
This will certainly be a different season with the defence in any case, with long-term captain Dean Lewington choosing to retire from the sport at the end of last season.
The defensive side of the game is certainly something to work on generally. With MK Dons’ last two seasons having been defined by defensive collapses, avoiding another round of this feels like an essential.
It will be natural to expect the competition to be fierce. Last season saw a fiercely competitive push for automatic promotion – even if it almost became last one standing with the top 5 all dropping points on multiple occasions in the run-in – and with this league traditionally being competitive, it makes sense it will be a fight once more.
MK Dons do find themselves keeping company as one of the promotion front-runners. The likes of Chesterfield, Salford, Walsall, Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Notts County are all possible contenders, with National League champions Barnet picked by some as a potential wild card, but there are many who see MK Dons as a name worth backing in the upcoming promotion fight.
This however makes this season one where MK Dons need to live up to this tag. The finance, the coaching staff renovation, the new signings and the vibe is there that this is the season MK Dons can return to League One, but that’s merely the gauge looking at MK Dons on paper.
We’ve seen from recent seasons that a team who look like promotion candidates on paper can often make that paper look like it came from a parallel universe to the one the team actually competed in. The Dons’ mission is therefore one where they need to live up to the billing they’ve earned, and we wait to see if they can do just that.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air has announced it will be operating flights from Luton Airport to multiple Spanish destinations from 2026.
The Hungarian airline announced that it will be running multiple flights from Luton Airport to Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Bilbao from March 29th 2026.
Wizz Air’s move marks part of an expansion of their flights in and out of Luton Airport. The operator runs flights to over 40 destinations from the Bedfordshire airport, with Wizz Air also starting to run flights from Luton to Vienna, Milan and Rome from late October.
The airline’s service plan for its newly announced services includes daily flights from Luton to Madrid, ten flights a week from Luton to Barcelona, 5 a week to each of Bilbao & Valencia and 4 to Seville.
The airline announced all flights will use the newly introduced Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director at Wizz Air UK, said in a statement,: “We are excited to announce not one, but five new Spanish routes from our base at London Luton Airport.
“While some airlines stick to siestas, we’re bringing serious competition with our signature low fares and high-efficiency model. We are proud to do things the WIZZ way – always customer-first making travel accessible and affordable to all with unbeatable value flying brand new aircraft. We’re not just adding new routes – we’re here to shake up the status quo with more choice and flexibility. providing more opportunities to create unforgettable travel experiences. Let’s Wizz, Let’s Vamos!”
Jonathan Rayner, Chief Commercial Officer at London Luton Airport, added, “We are delighted to have secured these exciting new Wizz Air routes at London Luton Airport, providing our passengers with even greater choice and new opportunities to enjoy the delights of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Seville and Valencia – five must-see Spanish cities. It’s great to see Wizz strengthening its commitment to LLA even further with the addition of multiple flights to Milan, Rome and Vienna each week.
“The continued and rising demand for city break destinations has been clear to see this year and these eye-catching additions to our departure boards build on the wealth of fantastic options already available from LLA.”
Max Verstappen has confirmed he intends to stay with Red Bull Racing for the 2026 F1 season.
The Dutch driver is contracted to race with the Milton Keynes-based team until 2028, but heavy speculation over his future has been present on multiple occasions in the last 18 months, with the driver linked with a move to another team.
One repeated link had been to Mercedes, whose drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are out of contract at the end of 2025 and who had been linked with trying to sign Verstappen for 2025 when previous driver Lewis Hamilton left the Brackley-based team to join Ferrari.
Rumours in more recent weeks had suggested that Verstappen had opted to remain with Red Bull, who he joined in 2016 after just over a year with their junior team Toro Rosso.
In a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen told the media in remarks as quoted by the BBC that he would be staying with Red Bull for 2026.
He said, “I’ve never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance, future ideas for next year as well. And that’s why I have nothing really to add ever.
“But yeah, I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours. And for me, it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.
“I think that was also the general feeling in the team anyway, because we were always in discussions about what we could do with the car.
“And I think when you’re not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kind of things. And I never did.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had said representatives of his team had held conversations with Verstappen about the idea of moving to Mercedes, although the Austrian said that it was not necessarily indicative of a move for 2026 and that it was more likely they would stay with their existing line-up.
Multiple reports had said there was a clause in Verstappen’s Red Bull contract that he would be free to leave the team if he was outside the top 3 in the driver’s championship in F1’s summer break.
If that was the case, this clause can no longer be used, with the Dutchman third in the championship and unable to be overtaken by 4th place Russell even if the British driver won this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix and Verstappen failed to score points.
The move will see Verstappen remain as part of a changed Red Bull Racing operation, with long-term team boss Christian Horner leaving Red Bull earlier this month. He has been replaced by Laurent Mekies, who was promoted from his role of boss at Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls. Mekies had his first race as team principal at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Red Bull are still set to have some driver market considerations to make for 2026, with Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda on a contract that expires at the end of 2025. The Japanese driver has struggled since being promoted to Red Bull in March, scoring just 7 points for the senior team after spending four full seasons with Red Bull’s junior team.
Former MK Dons players Joe White and Danilo Orsi have signed for new clubs, with White joining Leyton Orient and Orsi making a move to AFC Wimbledon.
Both players spent time last season on loan in Milton Keynes, with White joining the Dons on a season-long loan from Newcastle and Orsi signing in January from Burton Albion during the Dons’ management by his former Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsay.
White’s move to East London sees him join Leyton Orient on a season-long loan, with the 22-year-old midfielder making another EFL loan after previous spells with Hartlepool, Exeter, Crewe and the Dons.
Last season, White made 35 appearances in a season-long loan in Milton Keynes. He scored 6 times and made 2 assists.
The moves sees White become the 10th summer signing for the East London-based club, who are aiming to push on after reaching the play-offs in League One last season.
Meanwhile, Orsi has become the latest player to represent both MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon, with the striker joining AFC Wimbledon from Burton Albion.
The 29-year-old joined AFC Wimbledon for an undisclosed fee, with the striker signing a two-year contract for the West London-based club.
Orsi spent the second half of last season on loan in Milton Keynes, scoring 3 goals in 18 appearances on loan after joining Burton from Crawley at the end of the previous season.
MK Dons elected not to make Orsi’s transfer a full transfer, with the striker returning to Burton Albion upon expiry of his loan move and the Brewers now duly selling him onwards.
Players who have also previously represented both sides of the post-Wimbledon rivalry between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons include current MK Dons duo Conor Lemonheigh-Evans and Connal Trueman, as well as Tennai Watson, Henry Lawrence, Paris Maghoma and Drewe Broughton.
Milton Keynes Heritage Open Days is set to return in September with over 250 events taking places in locations across the city.
The open days will run from Friday 12th to Sunday 21st September with the heritage of Milton Keynes being demonstrated with a packed programme of over 250 free family events, guided walks, historic talks, cycle rides, creative workshops, open days, exhibitions, film screenings, storytelling, craft workshops and musical performances – all completely free to attend.
Families can take a trip on the Electra canal boat, learn about Milton Keynes’ parks in events held by The Parks Trust, take a guided bike ride through the city, enjoy craft workshops, learn to play board games, hear some stories, visit a medieval fayre, explore a museum dedicated to all things Lego, find out all about bees and above all have fun, share quality time and make some memories this September.
Attractions opening their doors for free events across the city include Milton Keynes Museum, Great Linford Manor Park, Westbury Arts Centre, Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre, The Stables Theatre, Bletchley Park, and the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney.
The theme for this year is Architecture and across the city, 109 events are being held to show off MK’s architectural legacy, from ancient churches and farm buildings to the modernist marble-and-glass buildings that form the fabric of the centre of the city.
Patrons can visit architectural practices, hear talks on architecture and sustainability, tour some of MK’s most well-known landmarks and celebrate all that our city has to offer with 10 days of family-friendly free activities.
MK City Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran said: “It’s really encouraging to see so many of our organisations and communities getting involved in Heritage Open Days 2025 again. Hosting 250 events over just ten days is a huge achievement – and there’s something for everyone. With 109 events focused on this year’s theme of Architecture, Milton Keynes is really celebrating its unique design legacy.”
Anyone who can’t make any of the scheduled events can take one of self-guided walks and trails for times that work better.
People looking to join the events can collect MK HODs brochure from the Milton Keynes libraries, from Get Smart carousels in local supermarkets from the beginning of August, or browse the events online here:
https://www.livingarchive.org.uk/events/category/events
