Luton Town have had a busy summer, already bringing ten players to the club. Now they look to improve their odds of bouncing back to the Championship with the signing of another midfielder.
With the 2024/25 season bringing nothing but dread to Kenilworth Road, Luton have been actively looking to turn their fate back around. The club have already bolstered their depth across the pitch, seeing plenty of incomings.
However, upon relegation, the Bedfordshire side has lost 16 senior players, including those with expired contracts and leaving on a free transfer. While there were departures in almost all positions, it’s undeniable that the club’s biggest departures were attacking players such as Tahith Chong and Alfie Doughty.
Luton Town submit bid for Barnsley attacking midfielder
The departure of key playmaker Tahith Chong no doubt left a hole in Luton’s attack. While the club have signed ten players this summer, few have been midfielders, with the three midfielders joining being more defensive-minded rather than looking towards the front.
Now, Football League World have reported that the Hatters are looking to fix that gap with an ambitious bid for Barnsley attacking midfielder Adam Phillips.
Phillips, 27, was a key man for Barnsley last season, scoring nice goals and a further seven assists. In previous seasons, Phillips primarily played box-to-box roles. Last season, however, he took on the second rightmost position in a midfield five, where he was allowed to support the forward line whenever the opportunity arose.
Despite his effectiveness last season, Phillips has just one year left on his contract. If Barnsley do not accept an offer in this window, Phillips can agree a pre-contract with any other club from next January.
Luton Town have been playing in a 3-4-1-2 this season, a fairly unorthodox formation; however, with club veteran Jordan Clark taking up the single attacking midfield role, there is a question as to how Adam Phillips will be used.
What role will Adam Phillips play?
This season will be Jordan Clark’s sixth for Luton, having played over 180 games in their colours. With 29 goals and 36 assists for Luton, and being a part of their dramatic rise to, and fall from, the Premier League, Clark is a club legend.
Clark is now 31, and Luton needs to look to the future. Despite this, Phillips isn’t a young player, but is currently in his late 20s, the prime age for most players.
Adam Phillips will be considered to be the direct replacement for Tahith Chong, who is naturally an attacking midfielder. However, towards the end of last season, Chong was being deployed as a second striker alongside Carlton Morris.
With Morris leaving, Clark has the highest number of goals for Luton over the last year. Nevertheless, the Luton captain can play in more reserved positions. If Barnsley agree a deal with Luton for Adam Phillips, Clark will almost certainly drop into the box-to-box role permanently, feeding the ball to the front line through Phillips.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Luton, Barnsley, and Phillips. With just over 24 hours left until the transfer deadline, they will soon find out.