Matt Bloomfield has raided his former side in Luton Town by agreeing a loan deal with an option to buy for Christ Makosso.
The 21-year-old has had a tough time as of late, with his minutes limited under Jack Wilshere. He has made just five team appearances since the former Arsenal midfielder took over at Kenilworth Road, with Teden Mengi and Mads Andersen his usual options at centre-back.
Buy Clause Revealed
According to the Daily Mirror’s Dan Marsh, Oxford United are set to sign Makosso on loan for the remainder of the season, but have an option to make that permanent should they pay £3 million to the Hatters.
Wilshere’s side have been active in trying to clear out some of the squad, having also seen Millenic Alli depart on loan to Portsmouth for the remainder of the season, while Lasse Nordas headed to SC Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.
They are on the verge of a double deal with Sheffield Wednesday, with Jerry Yates already arriving at Hillsborough and looks certain to be joined by Marvelous Nakamba, who is in talks to terminate his contract in order to join the Owls as a free agent.
Makosso was a firm favourite of the former Wycombe Wanderers boss, who inherited the Congolese international from predecessor Rob Edwards and earned Young Player of the Season by the end of his first six months in Bedfordshire.
Bloomfield Sticks With Familiarity
This loan move for Christ Makosso sees Matt Bloomfield poach one of his former players to try and help Oxford United in their quest to avoid relegation.
With five senior centre-back options at the Kassam Stadium already, it was by no means a firm priority for the U’s to deal with, but adding a younger option to support players like Ben Davies and Michael Helik is a good thing to have.
For Luton, clearing out what was a bloated squad has been a big priority, and this is yet another step towards that aim, having already let go of four fairly high-profile players.
With the Premier League quality players they have in Teden Mengi and Mads Andersen, it would be hard to break into the first team, but the change of system from a back three to a back four has made that task near-impossible barring injury.
For Makosso, it will be a good chance for him to try and regain some confidence in the Championship, where he played decently last season, but whether his permanent future will stay at Oxford remains to be seen.