After a meteoric rise through the English divisions, Luton Town have endured successive relegations, seeing the club compete in League One for the first time in six years.
Just over two years ago, a penalty shootout at Wembley saw the Hatters cap off one of the greatest underdog stories of all time, after the club endured relegation to the National League by way of a 30-point deduction in 2009.
The team fought valiantly under Rob Edwards, finishing eighteenth in the Premier League, only six points adrift of the relegation zone, with many expecting the club to bounce back at the first time of asking.
While this expectation was largely testament to years of overachieving, it did not go to plan, as the Bedfordshire outfit were relegated to League One, marking successive relegations at Kenilworth Road.
While recent finances from the Premier League and an impressive core of players have made Matt Bloomfield’s men firm favourites for the title, the main task at hand for the former-Wycombe Wanderers manager will be to cancel the ‘losing culture’ the squad has become familiar with throughout the last two seasons, which will be imperative to their promotion chances.
How did Luton Town fare last season?
As has been established in this article, the 2024-25 campaign was far from ideal for Luton.
Parachute payments and a squad that had ‘done it’ quite recently in the division had many favouring the Hatters for an immediate return to the top flight, an unusual tag for the club to carry.
It did not go to plan, losing 4-1 to Burnley on the opening day, ultimately winless in the opening four fixtures, and this was a sign of things to come.
Memorably defeating their bitter rivals Watford 3-0 in October, there were numerous false dawns for Town fans throughout the campaign, as the team struggled to put together any positive run of form.
Parting ways with club legend Rob Edwards in January, Matt Bloomfield arrived from Wycombe Wanderers, tasked to inspire a largely deflated squad of players.
Initially winless in his first eight games as Luton manager, the coach did manage to string together a run of positive results, unbeaten in five and beating relegation rivals in Cardiff City and Hull City, also winning three consecutive games in April in a late bid for survival.
Ultimately, this was too little too late as a 5-3 demolition away at West Brom saw the club relegated due to Hull’s superior goal difference, confirming the Hatters’ place in the third tier for the 2025-26 campaign.
Summer activity so far
This summer at Luton Town has been both busy and vital, with major activity on both incomings and outgoings.
Fans waved goodbye to club legend Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu, who became the first player to play for a single club in the top five divisions, featuring 412 times throughout the Hatters’ exponential rise.
Marksman Carlton Morris moved to Derby, while Amari’i Bell and Thomas Kaminski joined the club’s former manager, Nathan Jones, at Charlton Athletic, who swapped places with Town upon their promotion from League One.
Alfie Doughty was recently announced at Millwall, who was an excellent performer for the club at Premier League level.
Thelo Aasgaard will be a miss. Only recently picked up by the club in January after his impressive showings in the division with Wigan Athletic, the midfielder made the switch to Scottish giants Rangers.
On the other front, Bloomfield has been busy assembling a squad ready to fight for a return to the Championship, with a string of impressive arrivals.
Several experienced heads have dropped down to the third tier for next season, with potent poacher Nahki Wells, classy utility-man Kal Naismith, and hard-working midfielder George Saville amongst Bloomfield’s squad.
Prospect goalkeeper Josh Keeley arrived from Tottenham Hotspur, while previous promotion winner Nigel Lonwijk signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Most impressive of these signings is Hakeem Odoffin, who claimed the Player of the Season award for Rotherham United last campaign, and was largely anticipated to step up a division this summer by Millers fans and neutrals alike.
Star Players
While their summer incomings have been impressive, another key factor to consider is that some players crucial to 2023’s promotion campaign remain with the club.
With Jordan Clark, Marvelous Nakamba, and Cauley Woodrow still at Kenilworth Road, the pick of the bunch is mobile frontman Elijah Adebayo, who is the complete centre-forward in and beyond League One level.
Spearheading Luton’s promotion campaign in 2023-24, many would not have been surprised to see the striker picked up by a Premier League side this time last year, after hitting double figures in the top flight.
While only five goals last year was a disappointing return for the forward, confidence could transform the forward into his former self, which would be terrifying at a League One level.
Additionally, the likes of Tahith Chong and Mads Andersen have pedigrees far beyond the third-tier level, the latter having experienced the division with Barnsley.
One to watch is Millenic Alli, who joined from Exeter City in January and contributed four goals in the club’s bid for survival, emerging as one of the few bright sparks in the second half of the season. The former Halifax Town man has every potential to flourish in a promotion-chasing side.
Where will Luton Town finish?
While the squad’s personnel is simply a cut above most of the division, questions point towards the current culture at the club.
Luton heavily underachieved last year, as losing became a bad habit at Kenilworth Road, as the club fell from a cliff amid its glory days.
While a third successive relegation is almost unthinkable, the expectation is for the club to secure an immediate return to the Championship.
This all points towards the managerial hot-seat, in which the club boasts one of the most exciting young coaches in English football, Matt Bloomfield.
The Bedfordshire club appointed the coach on the back of his impressive stint with Wycombe Wanderers, who were valiantly pushing Birmingham City for the League One title at the time.
Clearly, the manager understands how to build a side capable of pushing for promotion in League One, and with greater resources at Luton, there is no reason that the manager cannot lift the club back to the second tier.
Challenges arise from the ‘favourites’ tag, as the Hatters should anticipate many sides to up their game against the club, given their recent Premier League status. This will take an astronomical amount of discipline and mental preparedness if the club is to see off their competition in the division.
That being said, Luton Town have quality in abundance for the level, alongside an exciting manager with fresh ideas. While Rob Edwards’ work with the club will go down in club folklore, the time for innovation was needed, and Bloomfield could prove to be another crucial managerial appointment next season.