'Parallels with Wycombe' drew Bloomfield to Luton

Matt Bloomfield was named Luton's new manager on Tuesday

New Luton Town manager Matt Bloomfield said parallels between the values at Kenilworth Road and his old club Wycombe Wanderers attracted him to take the Hatters job.

The 40-year-old left the Chairboys on Tuesday, after two years at the helm, to become Rob Edwards' successor.

Former Wales international Edwards, 42, left his role as Hatters manager last week after an underwhelming first half of the season left the club 20th in the Championship table.

Bloomfield, who scored 42 goals in 558 appearances as he spent almost his entire playing career at Wycombe, has led the Buckinghamshire club to second in League One with 51 points from 25 games this season.

Speaking to the 72+ EFL podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, Bloomfield said it was with a "heavy heart" that he left the Chairboys, but described the Luton job as a fantastic opportunity with a club that had many similarities to Wycombe.

"There are some parallels in terms of what the supporters expect, what this club stands for - hard work, integrity, loyalty," Bloomfield said.

"Every club is different, you need to learn every club. That individuality is what makes football in this country so special but can I see some parallels? Yes.

"That's one of the things that attracted me to Luton and Luton to me, reciprocally."

'Move happened too quick to say goodbye to Wycombe'

Matt Bloomfield is a club legend at Wycombe, having spent almost his entire playing career there

Bloomfield took over from Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe in February 2023, steering the club to ninth place in League One, before finishing 10th last term.

Following the club's 2-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Portsmouth on Friday, he was told of an official approach from Luton on Saturday and he spoke to the club the following day, he said.

With the deal finalised on Monday night, he and his staff took training at Luton on Tuesday so there has not been time for a proper Wycombe goodbye yet.

"I'm trying to get round to calling everyone and saying goodbye that way but I absolutely would rather do that in person if I possibly can," he added.

Despite operating under a significantly lower budget than many of the clubs around them, Wycombe have kept pace with Birmingham City, Wrexham and Huddersfield Town in the race for automatic promotion to the Championship this season.

By contrast, Luton have endured a difficult return to the second tier following relegation from the Premier League, sitting just two points above the drop zone and are looking to avoid back-to-back relegations.

Luton job a 'huge responsibility'

Rob Edwards led Luton to promotion to the Premier League in 2022-23 but the club have struggled on their return to the Championship this season

Edwards left the club on the back of four straight defeats and 10 consecutive losses on the road. His final game in charge was a 2-1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

Bloomfield called Edwards a man of "great integrity and honesty" and said he leaves behind a "big legacy".

"Luton have got to my heart, quick," Bloomfield added. "There are some incredible people there, you can really feel the heritage and authenticity of the football club.

"They retained that authenticity even though they've risen to the Premier League and back down again - you can still feel the fabric of the club and the love through the people who work there.

"So I'm looking to integrate myself into the club as quickly as possible and make sure I do the best job I can because it's a huge responsibility and not one I'm taking lightly."

Moving up table priority for Bloomfield

Matt Bloomfield takes over at Luton with the club on the back of five straight defeats in all competitions

Winning games and moving away from the drop zone will be Bloomfield's immediate priority, with games against Preston North End, Oxford United and Millwall to come in January.

He said he would look to implement some of his own ideas, while building on the work Edwards had done before.

Bloomfield believes his experiences of taking over a struggling Colchester side in September 2022 and then succeeding club legend Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe two years ago has prepared him well for the task.

"Following a manager who had incredible successes over 10 years was far from comfortable," he added.

"But every job in management is tough, every job in management is uncomfortable, has some extreme highs and lows.

"We need to get away from the danger zone this year and build some optimism and energy around the football club."

Bloomfield's first match in charge is against Preston at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.