Luton Town had a campaign to remember in the Premier League last season, but what can supporters expect now they are back in the second tier?
As The Hatters attempt to make an instant return to the Premier League, at The Deck we attempt to dive deep into Luton’s chances of promotion, what has changed over the summer and who to look out for, as well as getting some valuable fan opinion.
Club Profile (stats from 2023/24 PL season)
Top Goalscorer: Carlton Morris (11 goals)
Top Assister: Alfie Doughty (8 assists)
Transfers in:
- Reuell Walters (free from Arsenal)
- Shandon Baptiste (free from Brentford)
Transfers out:
- Ross Barkley (£5m to Aston Villa)
- Ryan Giles (£4.5m to Hull City)
- Gabriel Osho, Luke Berry, Dan Potts, Fred Onyedima, Admiral Muskwe & Elliot Thorpe (all left as free agents)
Predicted XI for the first game of the season: Kaminski (GK), Ogbene, Walters, Mengi, Johnson, Doughty, Baptiste, Mpanzu, Chong, Morris, Adebayo.
Statistical Prediction: 5th, 16.7% of automatic promotion (Opta)
Last season: 18th (Premier League)
The state of play
Luton’s promotion to the topflight after a 31-year absence was a fairytale celebrated across the nation, barring areas of Watford, as The Hatters became a flagship for clubs who have ambitions of being a Premier League side but may not have the same financial muscle as various clubs both in the Premier League as well as the Championship.
Smart recruitment and a siege mentality meant that Luton climbed out of the Championship in 2023 after defeating Coventry City in the play-off final.
Town had to wrestle plenty of challenges after making the promised land however with the famously old, Kenilworth Road, in need of changes to merely be suitable for the Premier League’s regulations.
There were issues on the field too, as Luton were faced with an almost incomprehensible number of injuries, leaving The Hatters’ bench so thin that they were almost void of any senior substitutes.
Despite a four-point deduction to Nottingham Forest, Luton Town did suffer immediate relegation from the Premier League, joining the three promoted sides in the bottom three.
How have they rebuilt this summer?
Luton have broken the usual mould of relegated sides who tend to lose the top two or three members of their squad by, so far, retaining the majority of their best eleven.
Ross Barkley did depart for Aston Villa, although the midfielder wasn’t expected to remain at Kenilworth Road by any means.
Gabriel Osho and Ryan Giles have been the other two exits of note, although the latter had failed to make an impact since joining from Wolves in 2023, making only 14 appearances.
Osho is a bigger issue, however. The centre-back has left Luton even shorter in defence and leaves after many years of service with The Hatters.
The greater issue at hand this summer has been the lack of incomings at Kenilworth Road. Fans have begun to grow frustrated with the lack of arrivals this summer with Reuell Walters and Shandon Baptiste being the only signings so far, and with both players being on free deals, there’s a feeling that Gary Sweet and Luton may be holding back in the market.
A strikeforce to fret over
Although Luton do remain incredibly short in defence, often being forced to push a full-back into the back three so far in pre-season, Rob Edwards does possess a menacing frontline.
Both Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo remain a Luton player as of the time of writing, and the duo could wreak even more havoc than they did two years ago with a season of Premier League football under their belts.
Morris and Adebayo managed an impressive twenty-one goals in the top-flight last campaign and could more than double that combined tally this season with Luton likely to return to their more attacking approach to games.
Expectations
Due to the lack of incomings, which is caveated by the window remaining open, it’s hard to grasp what are the realistic expectations that should be placed upon Luton Town as an outsider.
Being the best out of the relegated sides would suggest that The Hatters should be one of the favourites for automatic promotion, but with Championship sides such as Leeds United, Coventry City and Middlesborough, strengthening around them; there are still many unknown quantities that could throw Luton’s promotion charge off-piste.
Widely popular manager, Rob Edwards, has ensured stability for the club however by signing a four-year deal with The Hatters; the 41-year-old appears positive about his side’s chances, stating…
“We all know the Championship, what a challenge it is, and yes, it is going to be a really difficult year, but also a really exciting one.
“We’ve taken a hit, but I feel – and I think everyone is the same – that we are still on this upward trajectory”.
Fan Interview:
To get the lowdown on the current mood on the terraces at Kenilworth Road, The Deck’s Alfie Nicholson had a chat with lifelong Luton fan and season ticket holder, Ed Hall, who has one of the bigger Luton X pages, @Lutonedh.
Here’s what Ed had to say about the upcoming season:
Where do you currently think you’ll finish this season?
‘Right now, I’d go for a play-off finish, around 5th or 6th.’
Who is a player to watch out for this season?
‘Reuell Walters (recently arrived from Arsenal) has looked good in pre-season. Can play either centre-back or right-wing back. A highly rated youngster who will hopefully have a good breakout season.’
Your most underrated player is?
‘Probably Marvellous Nakamba. Just because he hasn’t played in a long time, but the last time we were in the Championship he was brilliant and really controlled the midfield.
Unfortunately, he’s been out for some time, but when he gets back, I think he’ll be a very important player for us.’
Who will be your star man this season?
‘I think it’s between two players: Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris.
Chong finished last season brilliantly and has probably been our most impressive performer in pre-season, I think he’ll be a nightmare for Championship defenders.
Morris I think will be in the hunt for the golden boot and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finished the season on a tally of around 20 goals.’
If you could make one realistic signing this summer, who would it be?
‘For me, it would be Michael Helik from Huddersfield.
He’s a top-end Championship centre-half and due to his relegation to League One, we should be able to get him at a reduced price.
He’s also ex-Barnsley which seems to fit our recruitment plan.’
The thing that could determine your season is?
‘Boring answer, but probably injuries. Currently, we have five first-teamers out injured in Reece Burke, Amari Bell, Marvelous Nakamba, Mads Andersen and Jacob Brown.
If we get all of those back soon, we’ll be able to compete at the top of the league, but if we pick up more, we could be in trouble.’
Luton fans, how do you think you’ll fare this season?